A Tale of Twin Dragons
by IceWarrior13
Summary: Raven Branwen didn't just vanish. When she left her teammates, her husband, and Yang, she took something. She stole it... It's funny how things always find their way back, intentional or no. I only own my OC.
1. Prologue

Seventeen Years Ago:

 _Taiyang Xiao-Long and Raven Branwen married and had two children._

 _Twins, two sisters, alike in everything besides hair and eye color._

 _The elder sister, Yang Xiao-Long, had blonde hair and lilac eyes._

 _The younger sister, Rhea Brawen, had black hair and blue eyes._

"I know people say this a lot." Taiyang smiled in the hospital, cradling Yang in his arms. "But wow, we made some great-lookin' kids."

"Really?" Raven rolled her eyes, holding their other daughter. "I think we'd better let Qrow and Summer in. If we don't, they'll probably _explode_."

"In that case, let's only let Summer in."

"Tai..."

"I know, I know..."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Sixteen Years Ago:

One year after the twins' birth, Raven Branwen vanished, taking little Rhea with her.

"Raven?!" Taiyang ran around the house as Yang cried. "Raven?! Rhea?! Raven?!" He came back to the twins' room and picked Yang up, cradling her and trying to calm her down. "Shh... Shh... It's okay, Yang. It'll be alright."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

A figure in red and black watched from a tree, looking in a window, holding a blue bundle in one arm while the othe held onto a branch.

Two red eyes closed, almost like their owner regretted her choice.

The moon vanished behind a cloud, and when it came out again, the figure was gone.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Fifteen Years Ago:

 _Taiyang remarried, having a daughter named Ruby with his team-leader, Summer Rose._

 _He never told Yang of her twin, only wondered how long it would be before the two reappeared._

 _And when Raven and Rhea did appear, what would his lost daughter have become?_

Taiyang held Yang as Summer cradled Ruby.

"Why would Raven only take one?" He asked. "Or any of them? And why would she leave?"

"I don't know." Summer admitted. "But we'll get both of them back someday. I promise."

"Thanks, _Sum_."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Seven Years Ago:

A figure in red and black walked through a forest, a small figure in black walking by her side.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Rhea?"

"Am I going to be a _Huntress_ like you, someday?"

"Do you wish to be?"

"Yes."

"Good... I will train you as best I can, but your future lies at _Beacon_. I will ensure that you are ready for their entrance exam."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Of course, my _little bird_."

"... Mom?"

"Yes?"

"I had the dream, again."

"The same one?"

"Yes. The one where I look in a mirror, and the reflection is the same, but... A little different. The girl on the other side is blonde, with purple eyes. Do you think it means something?"

"It might... It's best not to dwell on dreams, _little bird_. Here and now is what matters most... Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mom."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

One Year Ago:

In six years, Rhea Branwen had grown into quite the Huntress.

Her battle-outfit was much like that of her mother, except instead of red/black, it was turquoise/black. Also, the hair-tuft at the side of her skirt looked more like a bird's wing that stretched to the back of the skirt, and the girl didn't wear a Grimm-mask. The emblem on the skirt-panel was a black bird in flight.

Her weapon was like her mother's sword (except shorter and with a silver sheath and hilt, resting at her hip), along with two silver bracelets on her wrists that could become ice-Dust-firing gauntlets.

They had discovered her dual-semblance some time ago. The girl could both change into a bird (a raven, like her mother) and activate a red-eyed state in which every hit made her stronger, and her rage gave off an icy power.

In the forest, Raven inspected her daughter carefully, mulling over years of training and improvement.

"You are ready." Raven finally announced, giving a small smile. "It is time for you to take Beacon's entrance exam." Rhea beamed, bowing her head.

"Thank you, Mother... What will you do while I am away?"

"Probably mess with your _dumbass uncle_ some more. You know how he is. I can't resist." The two laughed, and Raven placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, serious. "Rhea, while you are at Beacon, you may come face-to-face with some _demons_. Mine, and yours. But know this... I will always be your mother, and know that all I've done has been what is best for you."

"I know, Mother." The two hugged, then Raven stepped away, pulling out her sword and slashing a portal. The red-eyed Huntress looked back once, both Branwens smiling one last time, then Raven vanished in the red spiral. Rhea sighed, then walked away.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

While all of this had happened, Yang Xiao-Long had trained at Signal Academy. For years, she'd tried to find her mother, and she was still looking.

The blonde-brawler had her own dual-semblance: a red-eyed state in which every hit made her stronger and a flaming rage, and the ability to change into a falcon.

She rarely used her second semblance, though.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Three Months Ago:

"Next for the Entrance Exam..." Glynda Goodwitch looked down at her scroll, and her green eyes widened slightly. "Rhea Branwen."

" _Branwen_?!" Qrow Branwen (who was overseeing the exams with the two Beacon Professors) asked, alarmed. His lost niece was there?!

"Branwen?" Professor Ozpin asked. "As in _Raven_ Branwen?"

"Indeed." Goodwitch looked up at Qrow, eyebrow raised. "You seem surprised by this."

"When my sister ditched Tai, she took Rhea with her. Though I've run into Raven a few times, no one's seen Rhea for sixteen years... Her own twin doesn't know she exists."

"That would be _Yang Xiao-Long_." Ozpin noted. "We accepted her into Beacon a few trials ago."

"Should I send her in?" Goodwitch asked, frowning. There was a pause, then Ozpin nodded.

"Yes." He replied. Ozpin hit a button, and a door opened. It was silent as footsteps echoed in the arena, and three pairs of eyes widened as a figure left the shadows, blue eyes looking up.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Rhea Branwen sheathed her sword, the trial completed. The three professors stared in shock as she looked up, expression calm in the midst of such destruction. The simulation-Grimm had been slaughtered with quick and precise ease, their holograms dissolving. Twenty-five Atlesian Knights were in pieces at her feet.

This had all been done in less than three minutes, without the use of a semblance or a sweat broken.

"Well..." Goodwitch blinked a few times, stunned. "She surely is her mother's daughter. But sir, she is highly _unpredictable_. And with the presence of Yang Xiao-Long, it would not be wise to accept-"

"Let her in." Ozpin ordered. Qrow and Goodwitch gaped.

" _Oz_ , this isn't a good idea." Qrow warned, concerned. "The last thing I need to come back to after this mission is drama. Yang and Rhea probably don't know the other exists! And Ruby-"

"To keep two twin-sisters apart would be just as devastating as bringing them together... We will accept Ms. Branwen into Beacon."

"Yes, sir." Goodwitch hit a button, and a green light shine in the arena. The three watched as Rhea smiled, bowing her head, then turned and departed.

 ** _It begins... I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	2. A Dark Copy (Ruby)

As Yang and I looked out the window, the airship passing over a lake, I got a weird feeling. I turned and saw someone on the opposite side of the ship, looking out the window.

Her wild hair was black, her outfit like a darker, more-modest version of Yang's. A gloved hand was firmly wrapped around the hilt of a blade, the other on her hip. A silver version of _Ember Celica_ rested on each wrist.

"Um... Yang?" I asked, pulling on my older sister's sleeve.

"What?"

"You might want to take a look at this." I urged. The girl in turquoise/black turned her head slightly at this, like she too sensed something off.

"Huh?" Yang turned around, and I looked at her before back to the window. The mysterious figure was gone. "Ruby, what's wrong?"

"I-I saw someone, and they-" The ship landed. Yang smiled.

"We're here!" She grinned, then looked down at me. "You can tell me later. Let's go!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

It was a little less than twenty-four hours before I saw the figure again. I was in the Emerald Forest, partnered with _Weiss_ , and surrounded by Beowolves.

Earlier, it had been announced that there was an odd number of initiates. If all of them survived, there would be one team of five.

A flaming tree fell, but a flash of blue sliced it in half. The mysterious figure drew a sword of wind-Dust, using it to snuff the flames. Then, she sheathed it, pulling it black out with a blade of ice-Dust, glaring at the Beowolves.

"You hungry?! Come and get it!" She smirked. The Beowolves charged, and she swiped the blade, creating a barrier of icy spikes. They didn't stop themselves in time, and all of them were impaled. The figure sheathed her blade, then looked back at us, mildly concerned. "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah..." I stared. The girl was a black-haired, blue-eyed carbon-copy of my older sister (except, as I said before, she dressed WAY more modestly). "Um... I'm Ruby Rose." The girl blinked a few times, like my name surprised her.

"Weiss Schnee." Weiss nodded, still stunned. The girl shook out of her thoughts and smiled.

"Rhea Branwen." She greeted. _Branwen_ , like Uncle Qrow? "I'm bound and determined to be the solo, so I guess this is where I leave you." The mysterious girl turned and started walking.

"W-wait!" I held a hand out. The girl looked back. "Why not stay with us? It's safer in groups." The girl sighed, before walking back over.

"Just this once."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

A few minutes later, we were riding on the back of a Nevermore.

"Ruby!" Weiss screamed. "I told you this was a bad idea!"

"We're fine!" I shouted, Rhea laughing (she being the only one actually enjoying herself on the Nevermore-ride). "Stop worrying!"

"I am SO far beyond worrying!"

"In a good way?!"

"In a BAD way! In a VERY bad way!"

"Well, why don't we just jump?!" With that, l leapt off the Nevermore. Rhea ended up in freed all next to me, laughing as I screamed.

"Didn't think of a way out of this?!" She asked. I shook my head, and she looked behind me. "I think that problem will resolve itself!" With that, the girl turned into a bird and flew up. I looked down to see Yang and Blake.

"HEADS UP!" I warned, then screamed as Jaune flew out of nowhere and knocked me into a tree.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I returned to the Temple to see Yang, Blake, and two others. I looked up to the Temple to see a bird change into Rhea, looking at the tiny versions of the large chess-pieces meant for the pairs. Taking a tiny White Knight, Rhea smiled and turned back into a bird, flying off.

"Ruby!" Yang greeted. I snapped out of it and smiled.

"Yang!"

"Nora!" An orange-haired girl interrupted our little reunion. Her partner arrived just as Yang had a break down.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! COULD EVERYONE CHILL OUT FOR TWO SECONDS BEFORE SOMETHING CRAZY HAPPENS AGAIN?!"

"Um..." I pointed up. "Yang?" We looked up.

"HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?!" Weiss asked, hanging onto the claw of the Nevermore.

"I said jump." I frowned. Seriously, Rhea did it!

"She's gonna fall." Blake stated. I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"She'll be fine."

"She's falling." A boy with black/pink hair announced. Then, a girl with red hair got knocked over to us by a giant Deathstalker.

"Great!" Yang commented. "The gang's all here! Now we can die together!" I looked back.

"Not if I can help it." With that, I charged the Death Stalker, alone. I could hear Yang panicking.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted. "Wait!" I ended up getting batted aside by the Grimm, then chased. I ran back as Yang ran forward, eyes wide. "Ruby!" The Nevermore launched its feathers, stopping Yang while pinning me by my red hood. "Ruby, get out of there!" I struggled to free my hood, scared.

"I'm trying!" The Death Stalker raised its stinger. I looked up, eyes wide.

"RUBY!" Yang screamed. That's when two figures simultaneously attacked the two Grimm. Rhea changed back into a human and swung a red Dust-blade at the Nevermore, and Weiss froze the Deathstalker.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

After a scolding from my partner, Yang ran over to me, hugging me tightly.

"So happy you're okay!" Yang smiled. We regrouped, introduced ourselves to each other, and...

"Guys..." Jaune frowned slightly as he saw the Nevermore flying overhead. Rhea was gone. "That thing's circling back. What are we gonna do?"

"Look..." Weiss sighed. "There's no sense in dillydallying. Our objective is right in front of us."

"She's right." I agreed. "Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things."

"Run and live." Jaune grinned. "That is an idea I can get behind." I grabbed a large White Knight as Jaune grabbed a White Rook.

"It's time we left." Ren stated. I nodded, serious.

"Right. Let's go."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

We started running toward Beacon Cliff, hiding from the Nevermore as it flew, having seen our heading. Then, the Death Stalker caught up.

"Run!" Jaune yelled, panicked. Ren looked at his partner desperately as the Nevermore attacked.

"Nora, distract it!" He exclaimed. Nora ran out, dodging feathers and firing grenades at the Nevermore, while Blake and Ren swooped in to save her from the Death Stalker. Weiss got Nora out of there while we held the scorpion off, then we ran for our lives.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

We made it to the ruins, and the Nevermore broke the bridge. Eventually, it was myself, Weiss, Blake, and Yang versus the Nevermore. Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora battled the Death Stalker. Yang bought time as I readied my plan with the other two, but my older sister eventually had help.

"I HOPE YOU'RE HUNGRY!" Yang shouted, firing Dust-rounds into the thing's mouth, and Rhea drove her blade into the beast's left wing. They landed on the ruins as the Nevermore crashed into the cliff, Weiss freezing its tail to keep it in place. Then, Weiss returned as the other three helped me enact my plan. I was placed in a giant slingshot, Weiss aiming.

"Of course you would come up with this plan." My partner commented. I smirked slightly.

"Think you can make the shot?"

"Can I?"

"Can you?"

"Of course I can!" Then, Weiss fired me at the Nevermore.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I stood on the cliff, having just decapitated the Nevermore, and a small black bird landed next to me, turning into a smiling Rhea.

"Nice going, _Fearless Leader_." The girl smirked. "You did good." I beamed at the praise.

"Thanks, Rhea!" I grinned. Then, I frowned slightly. "Rhea, I have to tell you something."

"What?" Rhea asked. I pointed down the cliff.

"See that blonde girl?"

"I see a tiny yellow speck at this height, so I guess."

"She's my older half-sister, Yang Xiao-Long." I stated. "She's seventeen years-old, born on October eleventh, and she's the daughter of Taiyang Xiao-Long and Raven Branwen." Rhea's eyes widened in shock.

"That can't be. I was born seventeen years-ago on October eleventh, and Raven Branwen is _my_ mom."

"Rhea... I think you and Yang are sisters." I announced. Rhea paled. " _Twins_ , actually."

"W-what?"

"Who is your father?"

"I-I don't know."

"I do... Taiyang Xiao-Long. He's my dad, too. That makes us half-sisters... Rhea, we're family."

"I..." Rhea stared at Yang, then looked back at me. "This is impossible. Why wouldn't she have told me?! I've got two sisters and a dad, and she never told me?!"

"Rhea, calm down... We didn't know about you, either."

"That's to be expected. Mom never even let Qrow see me."

"Uncle Qrow?"

"Oh, so you get to see him? Fan-freakin'-tastic..." Rhea calmed and sat on the edge of the cliff. "Why didn't she tell me any of this?"

"I don't know." I sighed, then cringed slightly. "Yang is going to be SO angry..." Rhea slowly smirked.

"She'll be real-"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" I panicked. "DON'T YOU DARE MAKE A _YANG-WORTHY_ PUN!"

" _Yang-ry_?"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

The other seven climbed up the cliff, and I stood waiting. Yang walked over to me, smiling.

"That was awesome, _sis_! You totally whupped butt!"

"Thanks, Yang. But I couldn't have done it without you three." I grinned. Weiss and Blake gave small smiles.

"I admit..." Weiss sighed. "While rash, your plan got the job done." Blake nodded, then frowned.

"Where's that girl?"

"What girl?" Weiss asked. "Do you mean-?" I placed a hand over her mouth, giving her a pleading gaze. Weiss slowly closed her mouth, giving me a questioning gaze.

"You mean that girl who helped me down the Nevermore?" Yang asked. "Never got a good look... Where is she?" I slowly pointed to a tree, a dark silhouette standing there. In the shadow, we couldn't make out the color-scheme, and Yang's eyes narrowed as they turned red. "It can't be."

"Who is it?" Blake asked, concerned. Yang looked furious.

"Raven." My sister hissed, activating her gauntlets. I stepped in front of her. "Ruby, move!"

"No." I frowned. "That's not who you think it is... Yang, we've been lied to for a long, long time." We all turned to the silhouette, and she stepped into the light. Rhea's blue eyes met Yang's as they slowly widened, fading back to lilac. Everything was silent as Rhea slowly walked forward, soon within two feet of Yang.

"Who..?" Yang stared. Rhea gave a small smile.

"Yang... We have a lot to talk about."

 _ **I'M SORRY! I had to! I had to have that ending! Okay, to clarify: the October 11th thing is a reference to** Parent Trap **. It seemed appropriate, seeing the situation. I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!**_


	3. Red, White, Black, Blue, & Yellow (Yang)

The mysterious girl held out her hand, eyes locked with mine.

"Yang... We have a lot to talk about." She smiled. "Rhea Branwen."

Rhea Branwen.

Branwen.

Raven Branwen.

I stared at the dark clone of myself, noting how she dressed like Raven, my mother. I noted everything about her. Her style, the way she carried herself, how old she looked. This was impossible...

"Who are you?" I asked. Rhea gave a half-hearted smirk.

"Age: seventeen, born on October eleventh." She stated. "It isn't exactly rocket-science."

"What's going on, here?" Jaune and the others approached, concerned. I didn't take my eyes off the girl dressed in turquoise and black.

"Why here?" I asked. "Why now?" My copy shrugged.

"I didn't know you existed until ten minutes ago, so cut me some slack. I just came here to be a Huntress and kick some ass. I didn't exactly expect to find out I have two sisters." That confirmed it.

"Wait..." Weiss' eyes widened. "You're sisters?!"

"Twins." Ren realized. "They're fraternal-twins."

"What..?" Nora asked. Pyrrha put it in simpler terms:

"They're twins, but they don't look exactly alike."

"Well?" Rhea asked. "My arm's getting tired." I looked down at her hand, then batted it aside and hugged my twin, closing my eyes.

All these years, I had another sister.

All these years, I felt that I was missing half of me.

All these years, I searched for my mother, thinking she could fill the void.

All these years, I'd been searching for the wrong person.

All these years, I didn't know.

"I'm going to kill our parents."

"Get in line." Rhea chuckled. We pulled away, then let out short laughs. "Wow. I mean... I did not see this on today's activities list."

"Me, neither." I admitted. Then, Ruby laughed and hugged both of us, smiling brightly.

"I have two big sisters! This is the best day ever!"

"Heh..." Rhea looked like she didn't know what to think. "Yeah... Okay, you can let me go now."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

At the Initiation Ceremony that night, we were called up...

"Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, Rhea Branwen, Ruby Rose, and Yang Xiao-Long." Ozpin began. "You five retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forth, you shall work together as Team RWBBY, led by Ruby Rose." I crushed my baby sister in a hug.

"I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!" I exclaimed, then pulled away. Rhea placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, smiling.

"Good job."

"It looks like this is going to be an interesting year." Ozpin muttered. Rhea tensed up a little bit at that, then resumed her smile.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Team RWBBY settled in our dorm, sitting on our beds.

"Okay..." Weiss frowned. "Let's get this straight: you three are sisters?"

"Yes." Ruby, Rhea, and I replied in sync. It was almost creepy.

"And Yang and Rhea are twins?" Weiss asked. Rhea and I exchanged glances and nodded.

"Yes."

"And Ruby and Yang never met Rhea before today?" Blake asked. We shook our heads.

"No."

"Well..." Ruby smiled deviously. "Who wants to go call Dad from the library?" The three of us smirked.

"You're confronting him tonight?" Blake inquired, frowning. "And what about your mother?"

"Mom doesn't keep a scroll." Rhea explained, then narrowed her eyes. "But she'll show up eventually. We're gonna take care of Dad first."

"What are you going to do?" Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow. I chuckled.

" _Blake-y_ , _Ice Queen_... We'll require your assistance."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Ruby and I sat in front of the monitor, smiling as the call went through. Dad appeared on the screen.

 _ **:** Ruby! Yang! **:**_ Dad beamed. _**:** How are my two favorite Huntresses? **:**_ Ruby and I laughed.

"We're doing good, Dad." Ruby replied. "In fact, we want you to meet our teammates!"

 _ **:** Oh! Who's the leader? **:**_

"I am!" Ruby declared proudly. "Ruby Rose: Leader of Team RWBBY!" Dad smiled.

 _ **:** That'a girl, Rubes! Well, let's meet the troops! **:**_ Weiss and Blake came into view behind us. _**:** You in the white. You're Schnee's kid? **:**_

"Indeed. I'm Weiss Schnee... Is there a problem?"

 _ **:** I've got no problem with your family, but watch out for **Qrow**. He and your **big sis** don't exactly see eye-to-eye... **:** _ Dad raised an eyebrow. _**:** The girl in the black looks like a freakin' ninja. **:**_

"Blake." Blake greeted. "And I happen to be good with stealth."

 _ **:** I can see that... You two better look after my girls, you hear? Don't wanna hunt you down. **:**_

"Actually, Dad..." I frowned. "We have one more teammate."

 _ **:** A five-person team? Weird... Well, where is she? It better be a girl, or Oz and I will have a problem. **:**_

"It's a girl, Dad... You might even recognize her." Ruby gave a slight glare as the four of us moved to opposite sides of the screen, revealing a dark silhouette in the background.

 _ **:** Raven? **:**_ Dad's eyes widened. Rhea stepped into the light.

"No." She replied, pulling up a chair and glaring. "But you'll wish I was by the time we're done."

 _ **:** Rhea. **:**_ Dad stared. Rhea nodded. I scowled.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" I asked. "Why didn't you tell me?! I have a twin sister, and you never told me!"

"Or me!" Ruby shouted. "Dad, why didn't you tell us?!"

 _ **:** Girls, settle down... All three of you deserve answers, but I honestly don't know everything. Yang, Rhea: you are twins. But one night, many years ago, Raven took Rhea and vanished. Qrow and I searched for weeks, but we couldn't find any sign... Raven and Rhea could have been **kidnapped** or **dead** for all we knew, and while Qrow has found Raven a few times, we never saw Rhea. I didn't tell Yang and Ruby because I thought it for the best. **:**_

"She's our sister." I sneered. "Even if she was dead, we'd want to know!" Dad grew angry.

 _ **:** Would you have wanted to know that your baby-sister vanished, and you couldn't do anything to stop it?! **:**_ He asked. Rhea and I exchanged glances.

"You're my little sister?" I asked. Rhea shrugged.

"I guess."

 _ **:** Girls, your mother is the only one who can give you real answers... And you won't be able to find Raven unless she wants you to. **:**_ Dad sighed, then looked up. _ **:** Can I talk to Rhea alone for a moment? **:**_

"What?" I asked. "No w-!" Rhea looked at me.

"It's alright, Yang." She promised. "I'll meet you guys in the dorm." I sighed and nodded, the other four of us getting up. I turned and walked away, Ruby and I leading the charge out.

 **:** _Goodnight, Ruby! Goodnight, Yang! I'm proud of you! I love you!_ **:**

"Whatever." I muttered. Behind Ruby and I, Weiss and Blake exchanged concerned glances.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 _Rhea sat down in front of the screen, arms crossed._

 _"Well?" She asked, glaring. "What do you want?"_

 _ **:I guess your mom didn't tell you anything, either.:**_

 _"She didn't even tell me you existed."_

 _ **:That's Raven for you... Rhea, where have you been?:**_

 _"Everywhere. We never stayed in one area longer than three days."_

 _ **:How did Raven treat you? Are you alright?:**_

 _"Why would you care?"_

 _ **:I'm your dad. It's what I do.:**_

 _"... I'm alright."_

 _ **:I'm guessing Raven trained you.:**_

 _"Yep."_

 _ **:Your weapon?:**_

 _"I have a sword like my mother's except smaller and silver. It's called SilverWing, and it's my main weapon. I also have silver ice-Dust-firing gauntlets called Frostbite. I use them with my semblance."_

 _ **:Red-eyed Super-Saiyan?:**_

 _"Except with ice, but I can also change into a raven."_

 _ **:Obviously, with all that Branwen blood... I guess you turned out alright without me, huh? Just like your mom...:**_

 _"I guess."_

 _ **:Well... I'd like to see you in person. Your mom doesn't have to, but maybe over Winter Break you can come down to Patch with Yang and Ruby for a week (or longer, if you like). I'll introduce you to Qrow, and we can properly catch up. What do you say?:** A moment of silence..._

 _"I'll be there, for Ruby and Yang's sake if not yours."_

 _ **:Already attached?:**_

 _"They're growing on me... Goodnight, **Father**."_

 _ **:'Night, Rhea.:** Taiyang Xiao-Long smiled as Rhea hung up. The dark-haired Huntress sighed, shaking her head and resting her face in her hands._

 _"This is crazy..."_

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Upon Rhea's return, we decided to go to sleep, changing into our pajamas. Rhea's were dark blue, a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. They were very loose and modest, unlike mine. It was like she tried to deflect attention...

"What did Dad want?" I asked. Rhea looked over.

"He invited me to visit Patch over Winter Break."

"And?!" Ruby asked excitedly. Rhea sighed, shaking her head and giving a small smile.

"I agreed." My twin admitted. I smiled brightly.

"YAY!" Ruby cheered. Weiss sat up and glared.

"Be quiet, you dunces!"

 ** _HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's begun! What anarchy will the twins cause?! What will change with the presence of this loose-cannon brawler?! I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	4. Growing Accustomed (Rhea)

_I looked up, glaring at the slits that covered his eyes._

 _"You promised her you'd use your skills to end the violence!" I spat, drawing my sword. "You lied!" My adversary chuckled, smirking._

 _" **I** lied?" He asked, vanishing into the shadows. "Am I the only liar of concern?" I looked around in the dark, but I couldn't see him. "You have bigger problems than me right now, **Birdie**."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"What about your mother?"_

 _"Shut up! Just shut up!" I snarled. He chuckled._

 _"Always so spirited... When the sides of this war clash, make sure that you're on the right one." Then, a red blade slashed in the dark._

 _ **/\/\/\/\**_

I woke up in the morning to the harsh blare of a whistle.

"AH!" I fell out of my bed just as Weiss did, looking up to see...

"GOOD MORNING, TEAM RWBBY!" Ruby cheered. Weiss glared.

"What in the world is wrong with you?!" My least-favorite teammate thus-far asked. I rolled my eyes and got up.

"Now that you're awake, we can begin our first order of business." Ruby declared. I raised an eyebrow as Weiss brushed herself off.

"What?" I asked. The heiress a few beds down from me frowned.

"Excuse me?"

"Decorating!" Yang exclaimed, arms filled with various objects.

"What?!" Weiss asked. Blake held an overly-filled suitcase.

"We still have to unpack." The suitcase fell open. "And clean." Weiss deadpanned, and Ruby blew her whistle again.

"Alright!" Ruby smiled brightly. "Weiss, Blake, Rhea, Yang, and their _Fearless Leader_ -" Aw, she kept my little nickname for her. "Ruby have begun their first mission!" Ruby held her fist in the air, grinning. "BONZAI!" Yang, Blake, and I appeared at her sides, mimicking the action.

"BONZAI!"

"Now, let me get dressed." I left the room, heading to the bathrooms.

 _ **/\/\/\/\**_

When I returned, I was dressed in my school uniform with high black stockings (like Yang's) and my hair pulled into a low ponytail down my back.

"Why do you always dress so un-revealingly?" Yang asked, rolling her eyes. I poked the spot over her heart with an index-finger, my other hand on my hip in a jokingly-scolding manner.

"Our concerned mother brought me up properly, my dear sister." I fake-glared at my twin. "It's a wonder that our doting father didn't bring up his precious little _Yang-y_ to not be a walking, talking _perv-magnet_." All eyes in the room (save my own) widened as I said this. Yang gaped, then laughed.

"You are the best!" She crushed me in a hug. I winced.

"Too tight!" I exclaimed. It only got worse when Ruby joined in.

Sisters.

 _ **/\/\/\/\**_

We started cleaning and decorating the dorm, and I noticed a slight problem: no bed-space.

So, I took my bed, some ropes, a hammer, nails, and some wooden-planks, securely attaching my bed to the ceiling above the door.

I hug a little rope down the edge, and I started taping some old and new photos to the ceiling.

There was a photo of Mom and I, taken by some unknown being, standing in our armor and smiling at the camera. We both had half-unsheathed our blades, and Mom looked at me with that same pride she always had.

A bunch of other photos were places Mom and I had lived over the years. The deserts of Vacuo, the plains of Mistral, the mountains of Vale, the icy-tundras of Atlas, and many more.

The last photo was of Yang, Ruby, and I. I had asked Blake to take it the previous night.

"I have sisters." I smiled, resting my head on my arms as I laid on my bed, staring at the photos. There were a mere seven inches between my face and the ceiling, but that was alright.

I didn't need much space.

"Rhea..." Yang whined. "Can you help us make bunk-beds?!" I sighed, smiling and rolling my eyes as I got up and slid down the rope.

"Sure."

 _ **/\/\/\/\**_

We ended up having to run to class, barely arriving before the bell.

Most classes that day were alright, but one was...

Painful.

Our last class of the day was Professor Port's boring Grimm Studies class, it was all monotone lectures on stuff Mom already taught me.

God, it was boring...

Then, Port winked at Yang.

"OI!" I stood, slamming my hands on my desk and glaring. "She's _seventeen_!" Yang pulled me down.

"Sorry, Professor!" My sister apologized, smiling nervously. When Port had paced a few feet away, Yang sighed, shaking her head before looking at me wearily. "It's fine, _sis_. I'm used to it."

"That guy's a total _perv_!" I hissed. "We should report him!"

"Just let it go."

"Grr... Fine."

"Thank you."

 _ **/\/\/\/\**_

Around an hour into class, Weiss volunteered to fight a Grimm. As our teammate faced the cage, I listened to the beast carefully...

"Boarbatusk." I muttered. Blake looked at me.

"What?"

"It's a Boarbatusk." I replied, then stood up. "Hey, Weiss!" The heiress looked at me, annoyed.

"What?!"

"Good luck, and..." I winked and gestured with my head to the image of the Boarbatusk on the wall, hoping that she'd get the message. "Don't stand your ground."

"What is that supposed to..?" Weiss' eyes widened. "Oh." I nodded, and the heiress gave a nod of thanks as I sat down, getting into a looser stance.

"Go, Weiss!" Yang smiled. Blake waved a Team RWBBY flag.

"Fight well!"

"You got this." I shrugged. Teamwork, camaraderie, fun.

"Yeah!" Ruby grinned. "Represent Team RWBBY!"

"Ruby!" Weiss scolded. "I'm trying to concentrate!"

Oh no, she didn't.

"Oh." Ruby looked down. "I'm sorry." Port smirked behind his mustache.

"Let the match BEGIN!" Using his axe/gun, he slashed the lock and released the Boarbatusk.

 _ **/\/\/\/\**_

After the battle and an argument between Weiss and Ruby, I waited for Weiss to finish talking with Professor Port. When the heiress came back into the hallway, I was there, leaning my back against the wall with my arms crossed and a scowl on my face.

"Well, well, well..." I frowned. "The _Ice Queen_ has her ponytail in a twist." Weiss glared.

"Quiet, you _brute_! You may be Ruby's sister, but you know as well as I do that she's not what's best for this team! Not yet..."

"Weiss, listen." I walked up to her. I was taller, and the little girl in white was obviously intimidated by me, but she tried to hide it. "Before I knew who Ruby was to me, I knew she would be our leader. I would follow her anywhere... But that's beside the point." I poked the girl in the shoulder. "Place yourself in Ruby's shoes, see this from her point of view." Weiss frowned.

"What do you mean?" She asked. I stooped to look Weiss in the eyes, trying to be more sympathetic.

"Picture this... You're the youngest person in this school. You have so much to prove, so many people to impress if you want to have any hope of fitting in. You do your best, but no matter how hard you try, someone who is everything you've ever wanted to be looks down on you and doesn't even give you a chance." I began, and Weiss' eyes widened. "You keep on trying. You try to make friends, to fit in, but you don't know how. You're scared, scared of loss and being alone, scared that you'll always be seen as small and helpless. As just a child... Then, you are given a huge responsibility. You think you're making friends, but still that person who's the image of everything you want to be looks down upon you. They don't trust you, they don't give you a chance. You don't know what to do... Then, they come right out and voice everything you've feared to hear. They take all of that doubt you thought you'd work through and cram it back in... You're lost, you're confused, and you're alone. You try to hide it, but you're only a kid. And right now, all you want to do is curl up and cry because someone you just want to be friends with and look up to is treating you like dirt." Weiss looked like she wanted to cry right about then. "So, tell me... What if your roles were reversed? Would you want Ruby treating you like you've treated her?"

"I-"

"Wait, wrong question... I haven't known Ruby for too long, but I know this: she would have supported you if you were the leader, instead."

With that, I walked away, unaware that three pairs of eyes widened.

Gold.

Lilac.

Silver.

 _ **/\/\/\/\**_

The next morning, for some strange reason, all was well.

Weiss and Ruby were getting along, no one was fighting...

Maybe Ozpin did something to the water supply.

 ** _*smiles deviously* Come on. We all know that Rhea wouldn't take any of Weiss' shit. Makes you wonder what she'll do to Cardin... I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**

 ** _By the way, because some people asked, Rhea is pronounced Ray-a. Got it? Good._**


	5. Stand Up (Jaune)

**_Volume 1 Opening_**

 ** _They see you as small and helpless,_**

 ** _They see you as just a child..._**

 ** _Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild!_**

 _Ruby Rose stands before Summer Rose's grave, looking up as her mother's cloak and the moon dissolve, the rushing forward._

 _ **Prepare for your greatest moments,**_

 _ **Prepare for your finest hour!**_

 _Weiss Schnee stands in a palace, getting ready to sing._

 _ **The dream that you've always dreamed is suddenly about to flower!**_

 _Blake Belladonna stands on a tree branch in the forest of Forever Fall, vanishing as a branch passes and the outline of Adam Taurus' mask watches._

 _ **We are lightning,**_

 _ **Straying from the thunder!**_

 _Yang Xiao-Long looks over Vale, checks her scroll, then rides off._

 _Rhea Branwen changes into a bird and flies away in the background._

 _ **Miracles of ancient wonder!**_

 _Several Grimm charge._

 _ **This will be the day we've waited for!**_

 _Roman Torchwick and Junior's goons are shown._

 _ **This will be the day we open up the door...**_

 _The silhouettes of Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, and Emerald Sustrai are shown in flames._

 _ **I don't wanna hear your absolution!**_

 _Team RWBBY prepares to fight a Grimm horde, barely dodging a red cyclone slams into the ground._

 _Rhea's eyes narrow._

 _ **Hope you're ready for a revolution!**_

 _Team JNPR stands in the Beacon courtyard._

 _ **Welcome to a world of new solutions!**_

 _Professor Ozpin and Professor Glynda Goodwitch are shown with a fleet of giant airships._

 _ **Welcome to a world of bloody evolution...**_

 _The girls are each shown with their emblems._

 _Ruby._

 _Weiss._

 _Blake._

 _Rhea._

 _Yang._

 _ **In time, your heart will open minds!**_

 _ **A story will be told!**_

 _Ozpin, Goodwitch, JNPR, and RWBBY are shown._

 _Ruby poses with her scythe._

 _ **And victory is in a simple soul!**_

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

After I was beaten by Cardin Winchester in a sparring match...

"Professor Goodwitch!" A hand was raised. "I would like to fight Cardin Winchester."

I swear to God, Professor Goodwitch paled.

"Ms. Branwen, I'm afraid that I do not think that's wise." Goodwitch replied. "Mr. Winchester has just completed a match. If you would like to fight someone else-" She was interrupted.

"I'll do it." Cardin smirked. "Maybe the _little birdie_ wants to avenge the poorest excuse for a Huntsman in all of Beacon." I looked down at that comment.

Rhea stood, walking up to the stage. She looked down at me, then kneeled and extended a hand.

"Rule number one..." The girl frowned as I looked up. "Never let them see that they get to you." My eyes widened, and I took the hand.

Yang's dark doppelgänger helped me up, and Pyrrha came to help me to my seat.

Rhea turned to Cardin, glaring.

"He's dead." Nora predicted, then stood and cheered. "BREAK HIS LEGS! AVENGE JNPR!"

"In three..." Goodwitch did a small _Sign of the Cross_. "Two... One! Begin!"

The buzzer sounded, and Cardin charged.

Rhea didn't move until the last second, stepping aside and making Cardin stumble.

"Grr..." The boy looked up, livid. "Fight, you coward!" Cardin charged at Rhea while her back was turned, but she simply leapt up and over him, arcing her back in mid-air and landing on her hands, flipping and ending up on her feet. "What kind of Huntress are you?!"

Cardin charged, and Rhea side-stepped, extending a foot and tripping him.

"The kind who's gonna kick your ass." The dark brawler replied calmly as Cardin stood, looking ready to explode. Rhea finally drew her blade, going with a blade of Ice-Dust.

"I'll show you!" Cardin yelled and charged, Rhea stabbing her blade into the stage to create an ice-sheet, sending him sliding away.

Cardin made the terrible mistake of reaching up and trying to take Rhea with him.

Cardin's hand pulled away, taking a few black locks of hair with it.

All was silent as Rhea closed her eyes, face contorted with rage.

Rhea reached up and unfastened the strap that held her blade on her waist, turning to Cardin and cracking her knuckles.

The girl opened her eyes, and they seemed to be turning purple.

An icy mist curled off her hair, and Rhea grabbed Cardin by the collar, lifting him into the air despite his height and weight in comparison to hers.

"She really is like you, Yang." Ruby whispered, eyes wide. Yang nodded, staring.

Rhea reared a fist back, then let out a yell of rage as she punched Cardin in the face, letting him go and watching him fly off the stage and into a wall.

The concrete cracked, and Cardin slid down, unconscious.

The entire classroom was silent, in mute shock.

Professor Goodwitch had raised a hand to her mouth, stunned.

Rhea looked at everyone, raising an eyebrow as her eyes faded back to her normal blue.

"What?"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

At lunch...

"There we were..." Nora began. "In the middle of the night-"

"It was day." Ren interrupted. Nora continued.

"Surrounded by Ursai-"

"They were Beowolves."

"Dozens of them!"

"Two of them."

"But they were no match, and in the end, Ren and I took them down!" Nora finished, smiling, while Ruby and Pyrrha watched me pick at my food with concern. "And we made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa-skin rugs."

"She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now." Ren explained, and Rhea smirked.

"How cute. You remember her dreams better than she does."

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked. "Are you okay?" I looked up.

"Oh, yeah!" I replied quickly. "Why?" Ruby sighed.

"It's just..." She began. "You seem a little not-okay."

"Guys, I'm fine." I tried to brush off their concern. "Seriously!" I put a thumb up and tried to smile. "Look!" Then, we saw Cardin and his goons picking on a Faunus, Velvet.

"Jaune, Cardin has been picking on you since the first week of school." Pyrrha stated. I freaked.

"Who?" I asked. "Cardin Winchester? Aw, he just likes to mess around, you know!" I grinned, obviously lying to myself and my teammates. "Practical jokes!"

"He's a bully." Ruby glared. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, please." I scoffed, frowning. "Name one time he's _bullied_ me." Three painful flashbacks later... "I didn't land far from the school!"

"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask." Pyrrha insisted. My teammates nodded.

"Ooh!" Nora stood, smirking. "We'll break his legs!" Rhea casually snapped a piece of celery.

"Guys, really!" I stood. "It's fine. Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everyone."

"OW!" A voice cried. "That hurts!" We looked over to see Cardin pulling on Velvet's bunny ear and laughing. "Please, stop..."

"I told you it was real." Cardin smirked. His goons laughed.

"What a freak!" With that comment, Rhea stood.

"OI!" Rhea snarled, cracking her knuckles as the boys looked over. "Didn't you learn your lesson, Winchester?!" The whole cafeteria watched as Rhea marched up to Cardin. "You mess with people around me, you get broke. Got it?"

"You got lucky in class, Branwen." Cardin scoffed. "I was going easy on you."

A wicked smirk crossed Rhea's face, and she chuckled.

"Funny... So was I." The dark brawler reared her fist back and socked Cardin in the face hard enough to send him flying into a trashcan. Rhea looked up at the rest of Team CRDL, then raised a fist and made it look like she was going to turn on them, next.

"RUN!" Russel cried, and the boys ran for their lives. Rhea laughed, shaking her head.

"You'd think they'd learn." Rhea turned to Velvet, smiling as she picked up the bunny-Faunus' lunch tray. "Hello. Velvet, is it?"

"Y-yes."

"Why don't you come and sit with my friends and I?" Rhea asked kindly, her demeanor changing like the flip of a switch. Velvet hesitated, then allowed herself to be led over to our table. Rhea smiled. "Guys, meet Velvet. I hope you don't mind if she sits with us." Rhea looked up at me, giving a slight glare. "Sit." I sat down, and Rhea made room for Velvet between herself and Yang. "So, Velvet. I hear you're a member of Team CFVY. How is your second year going?"

"It could be better... Why did you help me?"

"Why not?"

"It's atrocious." Pyrrha scowled. "I can't stand people like him."

"He's not the only one." Blake glared, then looked at Velvet worriedly. "Are your ears okay?"

"I-I'm fine."

"It must be hard to be a Faunus." Yang sighed, then smiled. "Did you see the look on Cardin's face? _Burn_!" At that, Velvet gave a small giggle.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

A few days later, I was in class with my team, Team RWBBY, Team CRDL, and Team CFVY.

"Yes, yes..." The professor, Doctor Oobleck, began while zipping around the classroom. "Prior to the _Faunus Rights Revolution_ , more popular known as the _Faunus War_ , humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing the Faunus population in Menagerie. Now, while this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events. Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day! Now, have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?" Velvet slowly raised her hand. "Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence. I mean, I mean... I mean, just look what happened to the White Fang. Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?" Weiss immediately raised her hand. "Yes?"

"The Battle at Fort Castle!"

"Precisely!" Oobleck grinned. "And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General LeGume's forces?" I felt something hit the back of my head, likely thrown by Cardin.

"Hey!"

"Mr. Arc!" Oobleck sped over. "Finally contributing to class! This is excellent, excellent! What is the answer?!" I had honestly been drifting off, so I had no idea what to say.

"Uh... The answer... The advantage of the Faunus... Had over that guy's stuff..." I noticed Pyrrha making motions. "Uh, binoculars?!" I saw Pyrrha face-palm as everyone laughed.

"Vey funny, Mr. Arc. Cardin, perhaps you would like to share your thoughts on the subject."

"Well..." Cardin smirked somewhat evilly. "I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier."

"You're not the most open-minded of individuals." Pyrrha glared. "Are you, Cardin?"

"What?" Cardin asked. "You got a problem?"

"No. I have the answer." Pyrrha stated. "It's night-vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark." I heard Cardin groan.

"General LeGume was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep." Blake continued, looking like she knew a lot about this subject. "His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured. Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't be remembered as such a failure." Cardin got up, looking pissed-off.

"Mr. Winchester..." Oobleck sighed, annoyed. "Please, take your seat." I snickered. "You and Mr. Arc can see me after class for additional readings. Now, moving on..."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

After school, I went up to a balcony with Pyrrha. She offered to help me, train me to be a better fighter. I was shocked, and a little hurt. I finally lost it and confessed faking my transcripts, snapping at Pyrrha and chasing my friend away.

"Oh, Jaune!" I heard a voice chuckle. I turned to see...

"Cardin?!"

"I couldn't help but overhear you two from my dorm room. So, you snuck into Beacon, huh? I gotta say, Jaune, I never expected you to be such a rebel."

"Please, Cardin!" I panicked. "Please, don't tell anyone!"

"Jaune, come on!" Cardin scoffed. "I'd never rat out a friend like that!" Okay, that was confusing.

"A friend?" I asked. Cardin placed me in in a headlock.

"Of course! We're friends now, Jaunie-boy! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a long time." Cardin released me without warning, and I fell to the ground. "That being said, I really don't have time to do those extra readings Doctor Oobleck gave us today. Thing you could take care of that for me, buddy?" I didn't reply. "That's what I thought. Don't worry Jaune, your secret's safe with me."

Cardin left the roof, and I returned to my room, unable to process it.

I was trapped.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

A few weeks later, I was still on Cardin's leash, and my friends got worried about me. We went on a field trip, and Cardin wanted me to throw a jar of tree sap at Pyrrha so some dangerous wasps would attack her.

"Try to hit that Branwen girl, too." Cardin smirked. Two of my friends? The two who defended me? Was I really throwing the sap at them?

"... No."

"What did you say?!"

"I said... No!" I pitched the sap at Cardin, and he glared as he chuckled.

"You've done it now." Cardin commented, and his goons grabbed me.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

After getting the beating of a lifetime, curtesy of Team CRDL...

"I don't care what you do to me!" I snapped. "But you are not messing with my friends!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

After that, I got beaten some more, and just as Cardin prepared to knock me out, I activated my aura. Cardin gripped his hand in pain, dropping me, and I found myself perfectly healed.

I was kicked to the ground, and before they could attack me again, an Ursa Major burst from the woods. It sniffed around, then zeroed-in on Cardin.

Cardin's team ran off, and the Ursa Major attacked Cardin, ignoring me.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Cardin exclaimed as the Ursa beat the Hell out of him. Before he was killed, I intervened, blocking a swipe with my shield and attacking. I checked my scroll, seeing my aura in the red, but I couldn't stop fighting. I charged, and some strange force lifted my shield to block the Ursa's attack, and I finished the beast off. I helped Cardin up, glaring as he looked stunned by my actions. "Holy crap... Jaune?"

"Don't ever mess with my team." I ordered, showing how livid I was. "My friends... Ever again. Got it?"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

As I walked through the woods, a bird landed on a branch in a tree nearby. I paused.

"You were watching?" I asked. A flutter of feathers, and it was Rhea sitting on that branch, her legs hanging down and head tilted to the side.

"Still think you're _not good enough_ to be a hero?"

"Wait, what?!" I asked. "You were watching then, too?!"

"Yes."

"Then, why didn't you help me?!"

" _If I can't do this on my own, then what good am I?_ ... Besides, you've proved that you didn't need it."

"... You are the worst."

"I know. But what are you going to do about it?" Rhea slid off the branch and landed. "Now, I suggest that you go and apologize to Pyrrha. Don't make me come after you." Rhea started walking away. "I've bet two-hundred Lien on Arkos!" I raised an eyebrow.

"What's _Arkos_?"

 ** _HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Rhea doesn't take anyone's shit! And she hasn't even fully activated her second semblance! This is gonna be good! I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**

 ** _By the way, the next chapter is a little bonus-feature I've been working on. Check it out!_**


	6. Blue Trailer

**_Betrayal shatters every heart. Mine was reforged with ice._**

Two figures in dark clothing stood on a rooftop, gazing down at an old warehouse, watching the men come and go and the guards prime their guns.

"Ready?" The elder, dressed in red and black with eyes like blood asked quietly, even though she already knew the answer. The younger, dressed in black and turquoise with eyes like sapphires, nodded.

With that, the two figures turned into birds.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

In the warehouse, a man _tsk_ ed as he walked among row upon row and stack upon stack of cages, shaking his head as he gazed into each one.

"Dead, dead..." He frowned, then heard a cough from one of the curled-up forms and fired his gun. "Dead. Dead, dead, dead..." A sickening smirk grew on his face. "Well, you're a stubborn little _freak_ , aren't you?"

"L-leave me alone." A boy's voice shouted, followed by some small coughs. "I-I'm a person, like you!"

"You wish." The man smirked, not noticing the tiny figure landing behind him. "As if a freak like you was anything like-" The man yelled in pain and surprise as he was tripped, his head slamming into the ground.

He was knocked out instantly, revealing a girl around the age of twelve standing behind him.

The girl ran over to the cage, reaching for her belt.

The boy growled and lunged, the girl barely backing away in time to avoid any injury.

"Get away from me, human!" The boy glared. The girl rolled her eyes, pulling something silver from her belt.

A lock pick.

"Do you want to get rescued or not, _Bull-Boy_?" The girl asked. The boy glared, but he backed away from the cage door, the girl going over and picking the lock. In a few moments, the boy was free. "Are there any others?"

"... No. Just me." The boy replied. He hadn't moved to exit the cage. The girl shook her head.

"We were too late... Come on. My mother will buy us time, but we need to get in a more open area before I can get us out of here."

"How do I know I can trust you? How do I know this isn't a trick?"

"What kind of trick? Also, don't you know a rescue when you see one?" The girl held her hand out. "My name is Rhea, Rhea Branwen."

The boy hesitated, then stepped out of the cage and into the light.

He was around thirteen or fourteen, wore torn black clothes, and he had red eyes and red hair.

Two defining features were the two bull-horns that almost blended into his wild hair.

"Adam Taurus." The boy replied. Rhea grabbed his hand and started running, pulling the surprised older boy along behind her.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

The children made it outside, then gasped as they saw at least a dozen men aiming guns at them.

It only got worse as Adam collapsed, too weak to carry on.

"Now listen here, _Missy_." A man smirked cruelly. "If you just step aside and allow us to take back our property, you can walk away from this without a scratch."

Instead, Rhea's hand went to her side, and she drew a blade of Ice-Dust.

"All people are created equal." Rhea announced, glaring. "If you want him, come and get him."

 ** _It was just fine._**

 ** _We lived in peace,_**

 ** _Looked to a happy ending._**

The men charged, but Rhea stabbed her blade into the ground, creating an icy slick to make them slip and fall.

 ** _The days were bright,_**

 ** _They shined like gold._**

 ** _Every step ascending..._**

The men looked back as Rhea slashed with a blade of Fire-Dust, creating a shroud of steam.

"Where did she go?!"

 ** _Our dreams came true,_**

 ** _Our path was clear._**

 ** _The moon watched safely from above..._**

That's when a man screamed as he was pulled into the steam.

Then, another one went.

And another.

Another.

 ** _But every smile_**

 ** _Is not the same,_**

 ** _And every heart's not filled with..._**

The steam dissipated, revealing four unconscious men and a livid little girl with a blade of Wind-Dust.

The remaining ten glared.

"Get her!"

 ** _Love for mankind!_**

 ** _Look around, it's getting very hard to find!_**

 ** _Not every open wound is simply healed by time,_**

 ** _But revenge is always sweet,_**

 ** _And chaos is the prize!_**

The men started firing their guns at her, but Rhea deflected the shots back, injuring two.

Then, she flicked her blade and sent a green cyclone of wind at the men, throwing them back.

 ** _Feel it everywhere and you see it growing._**

 ** _Enemies arise and the hate is flowing,_**

 ** _Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky!_**

The lead man stood and fired, catching the girl in the side.

Her aura protected her, but she looked up, even angrier as the remaining eight men faced her.

Rhea drew her Ice-Dust blade and gave them no time to attack, charging by herself instead and tripping three men, their heads slamming into the ground as she ran past.

Due to lack of an unlocked aura, they were instantly knocked out.

 ** _The machines of war will fuel both sides,_**

 ** _And the greed will only grow more lies!_**

 ** _Farewell to days of peace, 'cause now it's time to die..!_**

Rhea faced the remaining five men, noticing Adam slumping over, unconscious in the background.

Her eyes were slowly shifting from blue to violet, but she shook the red haze off in favor of focus.

"You're going to get it now, Missy." The leader growled. Rhea couldn't help but let a smirk cross her face.

"I doubt that."

 ** _Where did it go?_**

 ** _Our peaceful youth_**

 ** _Seems to be gone forever!_**

"What kind of kid are you?!" Another man asked. Instead of an answer, he got Rhea's boot in his face, the back of his head slammed into the ground as Rhea looked at the remaining four.

"I'm a Branwen."

 ** _And in its place:_**

 ** _A life of war!_**

 ** _Every truce has severed!_**

The girl leapt up and changed into a bird, screeching as she flew overhead, dodging bullets.

Then, she swooped down and used her talons to leave four large scratches across the leader's face.

 ** _We'll live our lives_**

 ** _Watching our backs,_**

 ** _Not knowing who to trust or fear!_**

"That child is a demon!" A man screamed, and three ran off.

Rhea landed and transformed, the battle now between her and the leader of the operation.

The head of the Faunus Slave Trade.

 ** _The hate just swallows all the love,_**

 ** _And all the_**

 ** _Truth will disappear..._**

Rhea gave a yell as she charged, the man enraged.

But he was also ready, and he brought the butt of his gun down on the girl's head, kicking her back.

 ** _Lost and blind..._**

 ** _Seems our dreams of peace have all been left behind!_**

 ** _It's always said white clouds aren't always silver lined,_**

 ** _But the future's looking bleak,_**

 ** _And the storm is set to rise!_**

Rhea slowly climbed to her feet, her hair giving off a blue glow.

She looked up, eyes glowing red, as that blue glow became an icy mist.

Her hand went to her belt, and she released the clasp that held her sheath of swords in place.

That's when the two silver bracelets on her arms changed int gauntlets, the girl rearing her fists back and pumping, readying rounds of Ice-Dust.

 _ **Say** goodbye **.**_

 ** _Time to die._**

 _ **Say** goodbye **.**_

 _ **Just say** goodbye **.**_

 ** _Time to die..!_**

Rhea gave a yell of rage and charged, punching the man several times and sending him flying back.

He stood, barely dodging as Rhea punched the ground, the earth cracking under her fists.

He kicked her, but she only came back stronger and angrier.

That's when she noticed that one of his attacks left his hand pulling away with some black hair.

 ** _Feel it everywhere and you see it growing!_**

 ** _Enemies arise and the hate is flowing,_**

 ** _Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky!_**

Rhea's howl of rage was almost animalistic, and she charged at the man as he cowered in fear.

 ** _The machines of war will fuel both sides,_**

 ** _And the greed will only grow more lies!_**

 ** _Farewell to days of peace, 'cause now it's time to die..!_**

Rhea's fist made contact, and the man was sent flying into the wall of his warehouse, going through it and crashing into the cages.

The cages fell, and something happened in there that caused the warehouse to explode.

 ** _Die!_**

 ** _Die!_**

 ** _Die..!_**

Rhea looked down, taking a deep breath as her eyes faded back to blue and her gauntlets disengaged.

She picked up her sheath and turned, facing away from the flaming warehouse as another explosion went off.

Her mother stood there, having watched the whole thing.

"Excellent work, Rhea. Go on ahead, back to camp. I'll finish up things, here." The woman sounded proud. Rhea gave a small nod, smiling.

"Alright." The girl went over and pulled Adam onto her shoulders, using a free hand to draw a dark-turquoise blade and slash a portal. "Come on, _big guy_. I'll patch you up."

With that, the children vanished through the portal.

The woman in red looked around, then drew a blade of Fire-Dust.

 ** _BOOM! That was my Blue Trailer! Whatcha think? Did I do okay? What do you think of this peek into Rhea's backstory? And what does Adam have to do with anything?! I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	7. Breaking Point (Blake)

I stood on the roof, watching the moon rise. Then, I heard steps...

"When will you tell them?" A voice asked. I turned around, frowning.

" _Tell them_ what?"

"Please, Blake. It's obvious." Rhea rolled her eyes. "The bow, the speed, all of your little habits and quirks... You're a Faunus." I tried not to allow my eyes to widen, but I failed. "A feline-type Faunus, I'd wager. House-cat?" I took a deep breath.

"How long have you known?"

"Since we met. It wasn't that hard to deduce... Also, Mom was once had me tail Adam Taurus' White Fang. You were his partner."

"What?!" I stared. "How could you have tracked us without our noticing?!" Rhea changed into a bird. "Are you kidding me?! You followed us as a _bird_?! We still should have noticed!" Rhea changed back, rolling her eyes.

"My God, the ravens have turned against us." She mocked. "It'll be the emus next, then the parrots. I saw an ostrich look at me funny, and the penguins-" I raised my hands.

"Okay, okay! I get it..." I frowned. "Why would your mother want you to track the White Fang?" Rhea sighed, walking past me and sitting on the edge of the roof, letting her legs hang over the side as she stared at the moon.

"Blake... Long ago, my mother was hired to hunt down merchants of an illegal trade. A Faunus-slave trade." Rhea began. My eyes widened. "I came with her. It was my job to free the captured Faunus... All of them were dead by the time we arrived. All but one... A bull-Faunus boy, only a year or two older than me."

"Adam." I realized. Rhea looked down, shaking her head.

"I released him, and I helped him escape that place... I'm pretty sure Mom killed all of those men." Rhea looked back up at the moon as I sat down next to her. "When Mom came back to our temporary camp, I was healing his injuries and getting him some food. He was barely alive... And he didn't want to leave. We were the first people he'd encountered in months, years, who didn't want to hurt or sell him, and Mom saw potential, so we let him come with us." Rhea gave a wistful smile. "Adam was my first real friend. We trained together, played together, fought together..." Rhea closed her eyes.

"What happened?

"Three years ago, Mom told Adam that someone needed to ensure that the White Fang wouldn't fall into darkness. She thought he was the one who could bridge the gap between the humans and the Faunus... But what he did only widened the rift." Rhea gripped the ledge, almost like she wanted the pain as a distraction from how she felt. "He betrayed us. He betrayed me... And he never even told me why." Rhea looked back at the moon. "I was tasked with seeing what kind of monster he'd become."

"Rhea... I'm so sorry."

"Why? You had nothing to do with it. You saw what he'd become, and you left... I just wish that there was something I could have done."

I looked up at the moon, realizing that Rhea and I had a lot more in common than I thought.

"Me, too."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

The next day, Team RWBBY was in Vale to see the arrival of Vacuoan students because Weiss wanted to spy on them so she'd have the upper hand in the tournament.

We came across a Dust Shop that had been robbed, and the culprits were...

"The White Fang." Weiss glared. "What an awful bunch of degenerates."

"What's your problem?" I asked. Weiss simply crossed her arms.

"My problem? I simply don't care for the _criminally insane_."

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus."

" _Misguided_? They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!"

"So then, they're VERY misguided! Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale."

"Blake's got a point." Ruby agreed, frowning. "Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago. Maybe it was him." Rhea nodded.

"The White Fang never seemed to be common thieves... And they'd never do something like this in an open, public area."

"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of _scum_." Weiss placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal!"

"That's not necessarily true." Yang tried to keep her cool. Rhea nodded.

"Yeah. Do you really think Velvet could be capable of that?"

Then, irony had to strike...

"Hey! Stop that Faunus!" We ran to the docks as two sailors chased a blonde boy with a monkey tail across the deck of a ship. The Faunus looked back and laughed deviously.

"Thanks for the ride, guys!" Then, he leapt onto the dock and stopped to eat a banana, hanging upside-down by his tail from a lamppost.

"You no-good stowaway!"

"Hey!" The Faunus disagreed. "A _no-good stowaway_ would have been caught! I'm a great stowaway!" Then, he had to dodge a rock thrown by a policeman.

"Police brutality." I could have sworn I heard Rhea mutter.

"Hey!" The cop shouted. "Get down from there this instant!"

A banana peel hit him in the face.

The Faunus jumped from the lamppost and started running, the cops following.

As he ran past, the Faunus winked and smirked at me.

"Well, Weiss?" Yang asked coyly. "You wanted to see the competition. Well, there it goes."

"Quick! We must observe him!" Weiss started running, and we followed.

I was wondering why that Faunus winked at me...

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Weiss crashed into someone and looked up.

"No! He got away!"

"Uh... Weiss?" Yang pointed. Weiss noticed the girl she'd knocked over and stood.

"Salutations!" The girl waved. Why wasn't she getting up..?

"Um..." Ruby frowned. "Hello."

"Are you..?" Yang looked concerned for the girl. " _Okay_?"

"I'm wonderful!" The girl beamed. "Thank you for asking!" We exchanged worried glances.

"Do you wanna get up?" Yang asked. The girl considered it...

"Yes." The strange girl instantly shot to her feet, and we all backed away slightly. "My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Hi, Penny! I'm Ruby!"

"Weiss."

"Blake."

"Rhea."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" I elbowed Yang at the same time Rhea did, making the blonde wince in pain. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"You already said that." Weiss noted, seeming a bit scared. Penny frowned for a second.

"So I did!"

"Well, sorry for running into you." Weiss apologized. We all turned away as Ruby waved.

"Take care, _friend_!"

"She was..." Yang frowned. " _Weird_." Rhea shrugged.

"Maybe she has good reason."

"Now..." Weiss focused. "Where did that Faunus riffraff run off to?" We all stopped short when we realized Penny was in front of us.

"What did you call me?"

"Oh, I'm really sorry!" Yang apologized while Weiss freaked. "I definitely didn't think you heard me!" Yeah, that makes it better...

"No, not you." Penny walked over to Ruby, confused. "You."

"Me? I-I-I don't know what I..."

"You called me _friend_! Am I really your friend?"

"Uh..." Ruby looked at us as we motioned for her to say _no_. Well, Rhea didn't motion. She just observed, but it was clear that she wanted Ruby to say _yes_ to Penny's question. Ruby's resolve steeled, and she smiled at the orange-haired girl. "Yeah, sure! Why not?"

With that, three of us fell over.

"Sensational!" Penny laughed. "We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

"Is this what it was like when you met me?" Ruby asked Weiss. The heiress shook her head.

"No." Weiss replied. "She seems far more coordinated."

"So..." Yang tried. "What are you doing in Vale?"

"I'm here to fight in the tournament!" The redhead replied. That immediately got our attention.

"Wait..." Weiss crossed her arms. "You're fighting in the tournament?!" Penny saluted.

"I'm _combat-ready_!"

"Forgive me, but..." Weiss frowned. "You hardly look the part."

"Says the girl wearing a _dress_." I barely held back a smirk. Weiss looked highly offended.

"It's a _combat skirt_!"

"Yeah!" Ruby stood next to her partner, and Weiss allowed a high-five. Rhea gave a small frown.

"Why do I get the feeling that Penny could kick all of our asses?" She mused to herself. Then, Weiss' eyes widened.

"Wait a minute... If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed rapscallion?!" Weiss asked. I got mad...

"The who?" Penny asked. Weiss held up a crude drawing.

"The filthy Faunus from the boat!" The heiress exclaimed. At that, I finally snapped.

"Why do you keep saying that?!"

"Huh?"

"Stop calling him a _rapscallion_! Stop calling him a _degenerate_!" I glared. "He's a  person!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Weiss got sarcastic and angry. "Would you like me to stop referring to the trashcan as a _trashcan_ , or this lamppost as a _lamppost_?!"

"Stop it!"

"Stop what?!" Weiss asked. "He clearly broke the law! Give him time, and he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang."

"You ignorant little brat!" I got ready to storm off, but Rhea grabbed my arm and glared at Weiss, enraged.

"Weiss Schnee... You're judgmental, shameless, and cruel. You're stereotypical. You blame everyone but yourself, and you're pathetic." Rhea marched up to the girl. "You judge people on what they look like?! Where they're from?! Stuff that they can't possibly control?! Well, who am I to stop you?!" Rhea pounded her fist against her chest. "What's your opinion of me, eh? Go ahead! Give it your best shot!"

Weiss was speechless, and Rhea stormed off, angrier than I'd ever seen.

"How dare either of you talk to me like that?!" Weiss asked. "I'm your teammate!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

For the next few hours, Rhea didn't speak to anyone. Upon return to a Beacon, she confined herself to her bed, back facing us.

All Weiss and I could do was argue.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!"

"That is the problem!"

"You realize you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!"

"There's no such thing as _pure evil_! Why do you think they hate humanity so much?! It's because of people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"

"People like me?!"

"You're _discriminatory_!"

"I'm a victim! You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus?" Weiss gripped the windowsill, not meeting anyone's eyes. "It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed... My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember." I slowly felt my anger fade. "And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends _disappear_. Board members _executed_. An entire train-car full of Dust stolen... And every day, my father would come home furious. And that made for a very  difficult childhood."

"Weiss..." Ruby tried, placing a hand on the heiress' shoulder. Weiss suddenly snapped.

"NO! You want to know why I despise the White Fang?! It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and MURDERERS!"

Weiss pushed me too far.

"Well, maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" I snarled. Weiss backed away as my rage ebbed. What had I just done..? "I..." I darted out of our dorm room, running away as fast as I could.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I found myself in the courtyard of Beacon, and I looked up at the statue. Slowly, I removed my bow and wiped away a tear as I let my cat-ears show.

"I knew you would look better without the bow." A voice stated. I looked back to see the monkey-Faunus from earlier.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Two days later, I sat at a café in Vale with Sun, telling my story. I ran alone at first, but he'd followed and grown on me... Like the annoying little brother I'd never asked for but still got stuck with.

"So, here I am." I finished. "A criminal hiding in plain view, all with the help of a little black bow."

"So, have you told your friends any of this?" Sun asked. I looked down.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Later, we walked down a sidewalk.

"So, what's the plan, now?"

"I still don't think that the White Fang is behind these robberies. They've never needed that much Dust before."

"What if they did? I mean, the only way to prove that they didn't do it is to go to the place where they would most likely go if they were to do it, and not find them there." Sun grinned. "Right?"

"The only thing is... I have no idea where that might be."

"Well, while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a HUGE shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas."

"How huge?"

"Huge!" Sun replied. "Big _Schnee Company_ freighter."

"You're sure?"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

That night, Sun and I staked out the shipyard. He went to get food and returned with apples.

"Did I miss anything?"

"Not really. They've offloaded all the crates from the boat. Now, they're just sitting there."

"Cool..." Sun held an apple out. "I stole you some food!"

"Do you always break the law without a second thought?"

"Hey!" Sun complained. "Weren't you in a cult, or something?" I glared at him. "Okay, too soon."

Suddenly, we were blasted by wind, and I looked up to see an airship land.

Several people walked out, and my heart stopped.

"Oh no..."

"Is that them?"

"Yes, it's them."

"Alright!" A White Fang member snapped at the rest of the Faunus. "Grab the tow cables!" Sun looked at me, expression full of pity.

"You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?"

"No..." I sighed. "I think deep down I knew, I just didn't wanna be right."

"Hey!" A voice shouted. I looked up as a human criminal, Roman Torchwick, left the airship. "What's the holdup? We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals try and pick up the pace!" My eyes narrowed.

"This isn't right." I stood, grabbing my sword. "The White Fang would never work with a _human_... Especially not one like  that."

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Sun asked. I leapt down and ran, hiding behind a container.

"No, you idiot!" Torchwick was yelling at a White Fang member, annoyed. "This isn't the leash!" With that, I ran up and held my blade to Torchwick's throat, glaring. "What the-?! Oh, for-"

"Nobody move!" I snapped. All the White Fang members whipped out their weapons.

"Whoa!" Torchwick exclaimed. "Take it easy there, little lady!" I removed my bow, glaring.

"Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this _scum_?!"

"Oh, kid." Torchwick smirked. "Didn't you get the memo?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together."

"Tell me what it is, or I'll put an end to your little operation." I held my blade closer to his throat. Then, I was hit by another gust of wind.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a LITTLE operation!" Torchwick stated as two more airships arrived.

While I was distracted, Torchwick fired his weapon and threw me back.

I barely dodged several more blasts, looking back as Torchwick was hit by a banana peel.

Sun leapt down, kicking Torchwick in the head.

"Leave her alone." Sun glared at the human, angry. Several White Fang members leapt out and surrounded him as Sun stood up.

"You are not the brightest banana in the bunch, are you, kid?" Torchwick asked, smirking. A few White Fang charged, but Sun easily took them down, whipping out a staff.

I leapt out and began fighting Torchwick, only to get thrown back. Sun attacked again, and I threw Torchwick back.

The human fired at a hanging crate, and it fell, separating me and Sun. I looked up as Torchwick aimed the gun-end of his cane at Sun, but a dark figure leapt in between the two.

"Rhea?!" I asked, surprised. My teammate silently glared as she slowly drew her blade of Fire-Dust, and Torchwick took a step back.

"Branwen." He stared. Rhea gave a small smirk.

"Torchwick." She greeted. Then, she slashed her blade. Torchwick barely blocked with his cane, and Rhea advanced, becoming a cyclone of red, turquoise, and black as the two locked weapons.

Torchwick was loosing, but then came an unwitting distraction.

"Hey!" Ruby shouted from a roof, whipping out her scythe. Torchwick looked up and smirked, while Rhea looked up with wide eyes.

"Hello, _Red_!" The human greeted. "Isn't it past your bedtime?" Ruby was distracted, allowing Torchwick to fire and send her flying back.

Rhea let out a cry of rage and continued her attack, while Penny appeared on the edge of the roof.

"Penny, get back!" I heard Ruby scream, and Penny looked back.

"Don't worry, Ruby!" The green-eyes girl looked forward, focused. "I'm combat-ready!"

Penny leapt down, dozens of blades flying around her.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

We watched as Torchwick left with the last two airships. I explained everything to Ruby, Penny, Rhea, and Sun, then reconciled with Weiss and Yang. Rhea crossed her arms and smiled.

"Well... That was a thing."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you look really alike?" Sun pointed from Rhea to Yang, then back again. The twins exchanged glances.

"No." Rhea deadpanned. "No one's ever told us that... We're twins, _Sherlock_." Sun gaped, then smiled.

"Cool! Have you ever tried dressing and doing your hair exactly alike just to mess with people?!"

"Hmmm..." Yang and Rhea exchanged mischievous glances. Ruby, Weiss, and I glared at Sun.

"What have you done?" Ruby asked. Sun laughed nervously.

"Sorry?"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Unknown)**

I gazed at the footage, smirking.

So, Raven Branwen had finally allowed another one of her pupils to enter this conflict, and this one was her daughter.

Interesting, very interesting...

Rhea Branwen was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Even without her semblances, she was powerful.

Unpredictable.

Dangerous.

An obvious threat.

She could have been watching me as I mulled over these thoughts, and I wouldn't have known.

That thought made me frown.

What of Salem's plan?

Would this girl ruin everything?

How had Raven raised her youngest daughter?

What kind of Huntress was she?

 ** _Uh-oh. Guys, big changes are coming. Specifically in Volume Three. I've already mapped out what I want to happen, and it's going to be CRAZY! I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	8. The Who's Yang? Game (Rhea)

Volume 2 Opening

 _ **There's a point where it tips,**_

 _ **There's a point where it breaks,**_

 _ **There's a point where it bends,**_

 _ **And a point we just can't take**_

 _ **Anymore...**_

 _A pair of silver eyes open over the image of Beacon._

 _ **There's a line that we'll cross,**_

 _ **And there's no return.**_

 _Team RWBBY stand in the courtyard, eyes closed._

 _Rose petals fly off Ruby's back as her cloak flutters._

 _Snowflakes fly off Weiss._

 _Shadows radiate from Blake._

 _Blue feathers raise around Rhea._

 _Embers fly from Yang._

 _Ruby opens her eyes._

 _ **There's a time and a place,**_

 _ **No bridges left to burn...**_

 _ **Anymore!**_

 _Beacon dissolves, and the moon turns black as the sky turns white._

 _Ruby falls through the atmosphere in free-fall, then spreads her limbs to slow her decent, rose petals flying._

 _ **We can't just wait, with lives at stake,**_

 _ **Until they think we're ready!**_

 _Giant black gears form Beacon Tower, Ozpin gazing out the window with his cane._

 _ **Our enemies are gathering!**_

 _ **The storm is growing deadly..!**_

 _Pyrrha appears in a flutter of leaves, looking down._

 _She looks up and smiles as Jaune places a hand on her shoulder, the rest of Team JNPR standing there._

 _ **Now it's time to say goodbye**_

 _ **To the things we loved,**_

 _ **And the innocence of youth!**_

 _Several Teams show:_

 _\- CRDL._

 _\- SSSN._

 _\- CFVY_

 _General Ironwood, Penny, some soldiers, and Altlesian Knights show next._

 _ **How the time seemed to fly...**_

 _Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch, Professor Port, and Doctor Oobleck stand tall._

 _Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Roman, Junior, and the Malachite Twins are shown in a burning city._

 _Many species of Grimm charge._

 _Team RWWBY, Team JNPR, and several others land in Vale._

 _ **From our carefree lives...**_

 _Pyrrha fights against all of Team CRDL at once._

 _Cinder gazes up as airships pass overhead, orange flames blazing around her eyes._

 _Yang battles Mercury._

 _Blake fights Torchwick._

 _Rhea blocks a strike from Adam._

 _Weiss engaged in combat against Emerald._

 _Ruby swings her scythe at Cinder._

 _ **And the solitude and peace we always knew!**_

 _Yang punches._

 _Blake slices with her blades._

 _Rhea raises her sword over her head._

 _Weiss moved to stab._

 _Ruby slashes with her scythe._

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I watched as my teammates and Team JNPR engaged in a food-fight, arms crossed an eyebrow raised.

What was the point of placing so much effort into a game?

I noticed Sun and some blue-haired boy watching as well. When they came in, I had no idea.

I gasped as Nora knocked Yang through the ceiling, and something inside of me snapped.

Game or no, the _Queen of the Castle_ was being dethroned.

I walked out onto the battlefield, facing Nora and glaring.

"Easy, Rhea." Ren raised his hand from the sidelines. "It's just a game. I'm sure Nora didn't mean to-"

"Let's go, _Bird-Girl_." Nora smirked. It was her _break-legs_ smirk, but I wasn't fazed in the slightest.

Instead, I focused, activating my second semblance and channeling it.

My fists and lower-arms were coated in thick, jagged ice.

"Okay, that's bad!" Jaune turned and ran off, Pyrrha and Ren following him. "Sorry, Nora! You're on your own!"

Nora and I stood there, Nora raising her watermelon-hammer.

"I-I don't see how that's fair."

" _Ice-cubes_. Also, you're using a lead pipe for that." I slammed my fists together, glaring. "Time to show you why you don't mess with my sisters."

I let my eyes briefly flash red, then raised my fist.

"M-maybe we can talk this out? I'll have Ren make pancakes!"

It took three strikes to send Nora Valkyrie flying.

The first punch went to the stomach, to make her hunch over.

The second was an uppercut to the chest, to make her fall back.

The third was a spinning kick to the head, and Nora flew back into the table-tower, sending it crashing to the ground on top of her.

"Queen..." I smirked. "You are dethroned." I turned away, seeing a flash of red as Ruby shot past me to finish the job, walking across the battlefield.

"You know..." Sun grinned. "If that had happened outside of a food-fight, it would have been so badass." I raised my fists, clenching them to shatter the ice. "Not that it wasn't already badass!" I chuckled, turning to stand next to him as a food-covered Team JNPR fell.

"That's what I thought."

"Hello, _little lady_." Blue-hair appeared in front of me. "My name's _Neptune_. What's yours?"

"You're covered in grape soda." I crossed my arms. The blue-haired boy turned red under the purple. "My name is Rhea." Sun held an arm out in front of me.

"Neptune, I don't think you should flirt with this one. Blake told me that people who do usually _get broken_." He announced. I looked at my fingernails nonchalantly. "By her, or by Yang and Ruby."

"Wait, what?" I looked up, raising an eyebrow. Sun immediately paled and backed up.

"Uh..."

"Today is not your day." Neptune commented. I grabbed Sun's collar, lifting him into the air and paying no mind as Goodwitch stormed in.

"What do you know?" I asked. Sun laughed nervously.

"Uh..." Behind me, the cafeteria was being put back together. "I really don't know anything else, I swear!"

"Rhea!" A tiny red figure attached herself to my other arm, smiling. "That was SO cool! How did you do that with the ice-fists?! Did you see what I did?!" I sighed, rolling my eyes and smiling as I set Sun down and turned to Ruby.

"Of course I did. That was pretty badass, _Fearless Leader_." I beamed. Ruby blushed, then Yang walked over and punched my shoulder, grinning.

"Thanks for avenging me!"

"You know what they say..." I smirked, raising a hand. Yang grabbed it, and we laughed.

"DON'T MESS WITH BRANWENS!" We cheered. Behind us, our friends and teammates rolled their eyes.

"Could be worse." Jaune shrugged. "They could be perfectly identical. Or, Yang could be able to change into a bird like Rhea."

No one noticed Ruby nervously smiling and tapping her two index fingers together.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

"Trap card!" Yang held a card in Weiss' face, playing _Remnant: the Game_. My sister moved several pieces. "Your armies have been destroyed."

"I hate this game of emotions we play!" Our white-haired teammate sobbed. Ruby hugged her.

"Stay strong, Weiss! We'll get through this, together!"

"Shut up! Don't touch me!" Weiss hugged back, despite this. I rolled my eyes, sitting on a bookshelf with one leg crossed over the other and reading a book called _Star Wars_.

Damn, it was good...

"'Sup, losers!" A voice greeted. I looked down to see...

"Hey, Sun!" Ruby smiled. The monkey-Faunus did a peace-sign.

"Ruby, Yang, Blake, Rhea, _Ice Queen_." He smirked. Weiss glared.

"Hey! ... Why does everyone keep calling me that?"

"You're a spoiled brat with an icy personality who shoots people down without even giving them a chance or getting to know them better." I replied, turning a page in my book. It got quiet, and I looked down to see everyone staring at me. "What?"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

The next day, we set out to uncover the truth behind the actions of the White Fang and Torchwick.

I was sent with Yang and Neptune to interrogate some night-club owner called _Junior_.

Everyone else changed their clothes, but I found the idea stupid and wore my usual outfit.

At the club...

"Guess who's back?!" Yang smirked. Two-dozen guns were aimed at her face, and Neptune and I raised eyebrows.

"Yeah..." Neptune frowned. "Define _friend_ for me?"

"Hold your fire!" A man stepped forward, panicked. "Nobody shoot... _Blondie_ , you're here. Why?"

"You still owe me a drink." Yang grabbed the man by the collar and dragged him further into the nightclub.

"Um..." I turned to two girls in dresses. "I have absolutely no idea what's going on, here. How many times has she been here, before?"

"Once." The girl in red replied. "She came in looking for some woman, interrogated Junior with some rather... Unconventional methods, and she beat everyone in here within an inch of their life, trashing the whole place."

"Damn it..." I face-palmed. "She was looking for Mom." I raised a fist to sock Neptune in the face as he peered over my shoulder to flirt with the two girls. "You're welcome."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

We didn't get anything from Junior, so we left the nightclub.

Yang and Neptune got on Bumblebee, and we answered our scrolls as...

 _ **:** HELP..! **:**_ Sun screamed at the top of his lungs. _**:** There's a robot, and it's big! Very big! And that Torchwick-guy's in it! But, not like... It didn't eat him... He's controlling it or something. **:**_ How could anyone be that..? "HELP!"

Sun and Blake suddenly ran past, being chased by a giant robot.

Never mind.

"Son of a bitch." I turned into a bird and flew off, catching up with the mech as it chased my friends. I transformed back and landed on a truck, Sun leaping up next to me. "What did you do?!"

"Long story!" Sun grew worried as Neptune attacked the mech with a glowing trident. "Hang on!" Sun slammed his hands together, his hair lit up gold, and two glowing clones appeared and attacked the mech, exploding on contact with the metal.

"Whoa." I stared. Then, Neptune got launched at Sun and I. Sun braced for impact, but I raised a hand and caught Neptune by the collar, not budging as I deadpanned at the two. "Damn, you're _pathetic_."

"Thank you!" Neptune clung to my arm, and I rolled my eyes.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

We ended up engaging the mech in battle, and Yang finally unleashed her _Super-Saiyan_ mode.

We chased Torchwick off, Weiss made a bad pun, and Sun and Neptune showed us this great noodle place.

All in all, not a bad night.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

The next morning, Yang shook me awake with a wicked grin.

"I've got an idea." My twin announced, whispering. "Come on!" Yang dragged me into the bathroom.

On the counter was bleach, blonde hair-dye, and lilac contact lenses.

"No." I crossed my arms, glaring. "No, no, no, no, no."

"Come on, Rae! It'll be fun!" Yang whined, then tried puppy-dog eyes. I rolled my eyes.

"Please. I've survived four months with Ruby."

"I'm your big sister! You have to listen to me."

"No."

"... Think of all of the people we'll mess with!" Yang tried. "You know you love messing with people's heads!" Why was she always right? "It's just one day. One day with blonde hair and purple eyes... It'll be fun!"

"... Fine."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

When Ruby, Weiss, and Blake woke up, Yang and I stood in identical Beacon-uniforms with crossed arms, smirking deviously.

"Who wants to play the _Who's Yang? Game_?!" We asked in sync. Our teammates' jaws dropped, and they got out of bed.

"My God..." Ruby looked between us, silver eyes wide. "There's no difference. You two are exactly alike... I'm going to freakin' KILL Sun!"

"Of course." I smiled, doing my best to act and talk like Yang. Yang nodded, just as we rehearsed.

"We'll help."

"But only if-"

"You play and win-"

"Our little game."

"This is terrifying." Blake stared, then glanced between us. She pointed. "You are Rhea. You are Yang."

"NOPE!" We laughed. This would be fun.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Team RWB(BY), Team SSSN, and a few teachers failed to win the _Who's Yang? Game_ , so we moved on to creeping people out.

"Hey, Jaune!" Yang waved. The boy waved back as he walked down a hallway, only to walk into me.

"How's it going?!" I asked, smiling. Jaune took a step back, then looked to see Yang gone.

"What?! What's going on?!"

"What do you mean?" A voice asked. Our target turned to see Yang behind him, smiling with crossed arms. I was gone when Jaune turned back. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Maybe you should go to the infirmary." I appeared behind him. Jaune looked between us, then gripped the sides of his head and screamed. Yang an I smiled, standing arm-in-arm.

"Want to play the _Who's Yang? Game_?!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

A few weeks later, it was time for that stupid dance.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" I shouted as Yang and Weiss dragged Ruby and I to a dress-shop. "I swear to God, I will kill you if you make me try on a dress!"

"Come on!" Yang smiled. "You'll look so pretty!" My eyes flashed red. "Don't be like that!" Weiss pulled Ruby and Yang pulled me into the dress-store, beaming. "You're going to look _**FABULOUS**_!"

"Ruby, shoot me." I pleaded. Ruby looked over.

"Only if you shoot me, sis... Double-suicide?"

"I think it'll be a simultaneous dual mercy-killing."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Eventually, Ruby and I were forced to try on dresses.

After about an hour, Weiss and Yang finally found one they claimed was perfect for me.

I ended up in a sleeveless black dress that appeared to be composed of feathers, but it was actually quite comfortable. There was a flower-like arrangement of blue feathers on the left hip, and I wore black fingerless-gloves that went up to my elbows and black open-toe heels. My hair fell normally, save a blue feather hanging in my hair on the right side.

"I... Hate... Everything." I deadpanned. My twin laughed and clapped her hands, smiling.

"You look beautiful!"

"I want my boots-"

"Stunning!"

"I want my coat-"

"Molto bene!"

"I want my sword."

"I... Wait, what?"

"I. Hate. Everyone."

"Oh, don't be like that!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I was dragged to the dance, and I actually had a decent time.

Then, I felt a chill in the air.

"Rhea?" Yang noticed my expression. "Is something wrong?"

"I... I'll be right back." I turned and walked off.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I changed into my combat outfit, gripping the hilt of my sword as I took an airship to Vale.

I walked a few blocks, turned into an alleyway, finding myself facing a figure in black and red.

My eyes narrowed, and I drew my Ice-Dust blade as I glared.

"You."

"Hello, _Birdy_." A devious smirk crossed his face. "It's been a while."

 ** _DUH-DUH-DUUUUUH! I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	9. Three Birds (Yang)

**_"Well, hello girls! Who's ready to fight for their lives?!"_**

So... We were out to save the world with Doctor Oobleck.

...

The world was doomed.

As we fought through hordes of Grimm, he questioned us as to why we wanted to be Huntresses.

I listened in as Rhea answered, having just decapitated three Beowolves with one swing.

"So, Ms. Branwen." Oobleck began. "You appear to be an extraordinary fighter, at higher levels of skill than any graduate of primary combat-school and many from secondary combat-school. No doubt that this is due to years of relentless training... Why are you so desperate to become a Huntress?"

"Well, Yang hasn't had to go through this, but Branwens have a reputation for being a bit... _Hostile_. We can't go anywhere without being recognized and feared because of our family's past, and sometimes we even have to go on the run to survive. I want to become a Huntress to prove that not all Branwens are bad and that we can be trusted."

"Hmmm... Does this have anything to do with bringing your family back together, Ms. Branwen?"

Rhea didn't answer.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Later that night, as we laid around the campfire, we confessed our real reasons for becoming Huntresses.

Weiss wanted to place some good reputation back into her family's name, and she kinda wanted to spite her father.

Blake was running, making everything up as she went along and trying to make up for past mistakes.

I was going with the flow, seeking a life of adventure.

And...

"What about you?" Weiss looked over at Rhea. "What's your real reason for wanting to become a Huntress?"

"What makes you think I lied?" Rhea asked calmly. We all gazed at her. "I told the truth... Mostly. I do want to help my family's reputation and make sure that people aren't afraid of us, but I also want my own life."

"What do you mean?" I sat up. "You and Mom have been living the dream. You've seen all of Remnant, you've saved lives, you've-"

"Been completely miserable." Rhea admitted. "Yang, I never got to be a normal kid. I never went to school, stayed anywhere longer than three days, made any real friends, or knew any non-enemy besides Mom." Rhea gazed up at the ceiling. "I want to become a Huntress because I want to make my own choices. I don't want to have to rely on anyone to decide for me... I want to be my own person."

"Maybe you can come with me." I grinned deviously. "We can go around, no ties, no worries. Just fighting and having a good time."

Rhea was silent. Then...

"No offense, but that sounds exactly like what I'm running from." Rhea closed her eyes. "I might take you up on that offer, someday. But... There's some things I just have to figure out on my own. I want a chance to figure out who I really am, without anyone else to influence my decisions."

Weiss and Blake looked at her, their eyes wide.

Could they relate?

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

In the morning, Ruby was gone and Zwei was in a panic.

Rhea and I were right behind him, freaking out over our baby sister.

We discovered a huge hole in the ground, and Doctor Oobleck realized that Ruby must have fallen into the underground city and been captured by the White Fang hiding there.

"Let's go." Rhea drew a strange turquoise blade I had never seen before. "We need to get down there and to Ruby as fast as possible."

"What kind of Dust is that?" Weiss asked, frowning. Rhea gave a small smirk, slashing her blade.

A swirling turquoise portal formed in the air.

"Who says it's only one kind of Dust?" My twin asked. "Get in. I have to be the last one in, or it closes."

"How do we know it's safe?" Blake asked, frowning. Rhea deadpanned.

"Do you really think I'd hurt you guys on purpose? God, the trust is real."

"I'll go first." Doctor Oobleck saluted us, then entered. Next to enter was Blake, then Weiss.

I looked at Rhea, taking a deep breath, then stepped into the portal with Zwei in my hands.

There were-tornado-like winds, then I stood on the ground in the middle of an underground city.

In a blue flash, Rhea was next to me, sheathing her blade.

"That was fun." She smirked. "Always loved that sort of travel."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

We found Ruby and ended up trying to stop a train filled with bombs heading toward Vale.

If we didn't stop it, the train would lead Grimm to the city and unleash an army of White Fang.

Ruby, Rhea, Oobleck, and Zwei stayed up top.

Blake, Weiss, and I went below, and I stopped in order to fight Torchwick's pink/white/brown-wearing flunky so the other two could move on.

The girl was fast, graceful. She dodged my every strike, taunting me.

Finally, she managed to knock me out cold.

 ** _/\_**

 _A figure dressed in red and black leapt out of a swirling red portal and slashed a red blade, easily chasing Torchwick's flunky away._

 _It was Raven Branwen._

 _Raven looked down at her eldest daughter, pausing for a moment to assess the blonde for injuries._

 _A turquoise and black figure fell from the hole in the ceiling, landing in a crouch before standing to face the woman in black and red._

 _They could be reflections if not for the changes in color-scheme and the red/black-wearing woman's large Grimm-mask._

 _"Thank you." Rhea Branwen bowed her head. Her mother nodded, then turned, slashed a portal, and departed._

 ** _/\_**

I woke up just in time to see a red/black-dressed figure vanish in a swirling red vortex.

I looked up to see a hand extended, Rhea giving a small smile.

"Yang." Rhea pulled me to my feet. "You saw her, right?"

"T-that was real? That was Mom?"

"Yeah... Yeah, it was."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Well, we failed to stop the train and Vale was invaded.

Team RWBBY held off the Grimm for almost an hour, then backup arrived and the day was won.

As the sun went down after that long day, Team RWBBY sat on the airship docks at Beacon, looking out over the bay and the city of Vale.

We rested in a peaceful, if tense, silence. Then, Rhea started humming quietly. I recognized the tune...

" ** _I'm coming home,_**

 ** _I'm coming home..._** " I sang. Ruby smiled and joined in.

" ** _Tell the world I'm coming home._** " We sang together. Weiss and Blake were the next to join in.

" ** _Let the rain wash away all the pain of my yesterday._** " The four of us sang. I wrapped an arm around my twin's shoulders, and Rhea gave a small laugh and joined us.

" ** _I know my kingdom awaits, and they've forgiven my mistakes._** " All five of us were singing, now.

" ** _I'm coming home,_**

 ** _I'm coming home._**

 ** _Tell the world that I'm coming... Home._** "

We all stood and hugged, laughing at our own antics.

"You know..." Blake smiled. "Meeting you four makes everything I've gone through worth it."

"I... Agree." Weiss admitted. I laughed and wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders.

"Love you guys, too!" I beamed, and they rolled their eyes. Ruby bowed her head, smiling timidly.

"All my life, people have said that I'm _too_ _young_ , _small_ , or _fragile_..." Ruby looked up, confident. "With you guys, I don't feel like I'm just a child." Rhea placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"I know I can be a bit difficult at times, but trust me... I will never regret meeting my sisters, and my friends."

"Aw!" Ruby and I crushed Rhea in a hug, and for once...

She didn't push us away.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I walked up to the figure standing in front of the statue, and she removed her Grimm-mask, looking up with eyes as red as blood.

Raven Branwen.

Mom.

"Yang." The woman smiled. "We have a lot to talk about." I deadpanned, crossing my arms.

"Really? Just... Really?"

"What?"

 ** _HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! We all knew that was coming! I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	10. In The Meantime

_**This is a series of short one-shots taking place over the course of** A Tale of Twin Dragons **to keep you guys interested while I work on the next chapter.**_

 **(Yang)**

"Time to finish this." I growled. Rhea glared, nodding solemnly.

"Once and for all."

"I can't watch." Ruby covered her eyes with her hands, and Weiss placed a comforting hand on her shoulders. Sun and Neptune were praying from a few meters away.

"There's nothing you could have done to prevent this from happening, dear sister." I gave a small smirk. "No escape for you, now... THE CITIZENS OF MISTRAL WILL PREVAIL!" I slammed my fist on the wooden table, making the pieces of _Remnant: the Game_ shake.

"Will you please be quiet?!" Ren asked somewhere in the background. My twin and I paid him no heed.

"Ruby chose me to substitute for her for a reason, dear sister." Rhea smirked. It was true, Ruby let Rhea substitute, and the rules of the game said that a substitute could draw new cards. I had no idea what my twin had up her sleeve, but I wasn't about to let it show that it bothered me. "Atlas will crush your pitiful little soldiers into the dust."

"God, you're just as bad as Weiss!"

"Just getting into the right mindset." Rhea chuckled. "Your move."

"I deploy the Mistralian Navy!" I slammed the card down. "The ships sail for the coasts of Atlas-"

"Only to be anhiallated..." Rhea held up a card depicting several bombs encased in ice floating in the ocean. "By submersed ice-mines."

"D-did she just out-trap the _Trap Queen_?" Ruby asked, stunned. I couldn't believe it...

"Grr... NEVERMORE FLOCK!" I slammed the card down. "Your kingdom's forces are decreased by-!" Rhea smirked and held a card up.

"Fire-Dust turrets on the border." She stated. "Your Grimm have been slaughtered, your armies decimated, and your kingdom shamed beyond the point of recovery." Rhea gave a dark chuckle, standing and leaning over the table to look me in the eyes. "You thought you had accomplished something, that you had a chance, that you were even winning... The smallest spark of hope can ignite change, which is why I have focused all of my power to snuff it out. How does it feel, knowing that all you've done has been for naught? That everything you've built will be torn down? You may send your armies, but you shall watch them fall, and when you come for me yourself, know that you come to the same, pitiful demise... This is the beginning of the end, dear sister. And I can't wait to watch you b-"

A small whimper shook Rhea out of her dark, crazed speech.

Ruby, Sun, Neptune, and Jaune had recoiled into a corner. Pyrrha, Blake, Ren, and Weiss had drawn their weapons. Nora stood behind Rhea.

"I will follow you anywhere! Let's break some legs!"

I just stared at my twin. Then...

"Who taught you to play _Remnant: the Game_ , again?"

"Mom."

"Ah."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Blake)**

Rhea and I gazed up at the moon, sitting on the rooftop. She had just finished telling me about her past with Adam. Finally, a smirk crossed my face.

"Do you have any embarrassing Adam stories?" I asked. Rhea turned to me, smiling deviously as she held up an old photo. Then, she flicked her wrist to reveal an array of photos.

Embarassing ones.

With Adam.

"I thought you'd never ask."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Weiss)**

I stamped my foot, glaring at the turquoise-wearing brute and that red-wearing dolt.

"No! This is the most insane, moronic, suicidal plan ever conceived!"

"It'll be fine." Rhea stated. "I've done way, WAY more dangerous stuff."

"Yeah!" Ruby smiled. "It won't even know we're there."

We stood right outside of a Giant Nevermore's nest.

"NO! I refuse to get myself killed for your stupid plan!"

"Listen here, _Ice Queen_." Rhea crossed her arms. "It's you get on the bird, or we abandon you to die alone in the burning, Grimm-infested forest. Make your choice."

I glared at her, waiting for her to yield. Everyone yielded if I waited long enough...

Rhea showed no sign of doing so.

She didn't even look intimidated. She looked impatient, annoyed, and... Bored.

I considered the options, finally sighing in defeat.

"Fine. But if anything happens to me-"

"Blah, blah, blah. Threat, threat, threat. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Just get on the bird."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Ruby)**

"So, tell me! How do you make those cool Dust-swords?!"

"Well-"

"And how do you keep them stable, all together in that sheath?!"

"I-"

"And why do the blades grow once they're out of the sheath?!"

"Ruby-"

"And how did you make that portal-sword?!"

"Actually-"

"And when you turn into a bird, where does everything you're wearing and caring go?!"

"Just let me-"

"Like, could you be carrying someone and turn into a bird?!"

"Ruby-"

"Would they become tiny or go where your clothes and weapons go?!"

"Ruby, can I-?"

"Also..."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Jaune)**

"I decided that you needed someone else who's expertise is in swordsmanship to help me teach you." Pyrrha began one night while we were training. "Just for tonight." I raised an eyebrow.

"Who? Weiss? That Yatsuhashi guy?"

"No... It's someone who would actually agree to help you without protest, and you know her pretty well."

"I'm still betting on _Arkos_." A voice began in a sing-song manner. I spun around to see Rhea standing on the edge of the rooftop, smirking.

"What is _Arkos_?!" I asked, growing annoyed. I didn't notice Pyrrha's face turning red behind me. "And how did you even get up here?!" Rhea fell backwards off the rooftop, then flew up in raven-form, changing back in a flurry of black feathers. "Right... And you're going to help me?"

"Yes and no." Rhea placed a hand on her hip. "I've observed your fighting, and you seem to learn better from experience. So..." My eyes widened as Rhea placed her hand on the hilt of her weapon. "Lesson one."

"Pyrrha, stop her!" I turned around, only to find that Pyrrha had retreated several meters. I spun back around as Rhea let out a battle-cry and charged, whipping out a Hardsteel-blade and meeting my own Hardsteel-blade with it. "Y-you actually have a non-Dust blade?"

"I don't want to bloody you up too badly."

"Gee, thanks..." I used my shield to shove the dark Huntress back, yelling and swinging my blade. Rhea raised up and caught it with one gloved hand, rolling her eyes.

"Juvinile mistake. In a moment of fear, you swung with the flat, not the edge." She was right. Rhea shoved the blade and send me falling back. "But Jaune, while your transcripts might have been fake, you must have passed the Beacon Entrance Exam same as the rest of us. And some people who enter those exams don't even have transcripts. Blake and I didn't go to combat-school, either... Jaune, you passed Entrance and Initiation. You have the potential to become a great Huntsman. You just need to try your best." I was astonished as Rhea extended a gloved-hand and helped me up. "Let's try that again... Pyrrha, why don't we try a two-v-one?"

"Y-you're letting her help me?"

"No."

"Oh my God."

That crazy girl was trying to kill me.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Nora)**

"Aw..." I sighed, sitting at a table in the Team JNPR dorm and resting my head on the wooden surface. Ren looked up from his meditative-position on his bed, giving a slight smirk.

"Mourning your castle, Nora?"

"We should have won that food fight!"

"Well, you shouldn't have hurt Yang in front of Rhea."

"But, Reeeeeeeeeen!" Suddenly, something slid under the door. I sighed, shaking,my head as I saw the turquoise envelope. "And now, she wants to taunt me! Curse you, Rhea Branwen! My kingdom shall be avenged!"

"... Why don't you look and see what it is, first?"

"Whyyyyyyyyyyy?!" I stood up and kneeled, picking the envelope up and opening it. My eyes widened. "Oh."

"What is it?" Ren was suddenly curious. I walked over and sat down next to him.

It was a detailed drawing. I stood on top of a castle with a crown tilted on my head, hands on my hips and laughing as I shouted _I'm Queen of the Castle!_ and _Off with their heads!_ , my teammates (Pyrrha on the left, Jaune on the right, Ren in the center) surging forward on the ground below the castle like knights into battle. Various types of food was scattered around the landscape, and our weapons were replaced by what we used in the fight. Glowing soda-cans floated around a bread-weilding Pyrrha, Jaune yelled a battle cry as he readied to throw a watermelon, and Ren carried the celery, focused. A red, bullet-like projectile streaked through the air behind me to signify Ruby's final attack, and the front of the castle was spattered with a rainbow of colors to signify our method of defeat.

"Wow." I commented. "I can't tell if she's gloating or showing sign of respect."

"... I think it's both."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Pyrrha)**

"Rhea! Why do you keep telling Jaune that you ship Arkos?!"

"I never said _I ship it_. I said that _I bet on it_. A lot of lien, actually..."

"Now, he's decided to make that our partner attack-name! ... Stop laughing!"

"I can't! This is just so pathetic! And sad! And adorable! ... _**Sad** orable_... You're crushing on Jaune Arc!"

"Shh!"

"Ha! This is the best!"

"Stop it!"

"Never!"

"Grr..."

"Ooh! I've made the great, patient, compassionate Pyrrha Nikos angry! HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE, PEOPLE!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Whoa, whoa! Easy, Pyrrha... What are you doing with that spear? I was only kidding... IT WAS JUST A JOKE!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Ren)**

Rhea and I sat in silence, meditating in Beacon's courtyard. Finally...

"So... How'd you meet Nora?"

"We have been friends since preschool."

"Ah... Have you heard about all the people placing bets on _ReNora_?"

"What's _ReNora_?"

"... Nothing."

"Hmph... So, what was it like finding out that you have two sisters?"

"Well... It was weird, you know? Imagine learning that you have a twin, a baby sibling, and a father that you were never told about."

"... I'm guessing it was a bit _shocking_."

"Understatement of the century... For the longest time, it was just Mom and I. We ran, fighting and taking odd jobs to survive, never stopping. I would have given anything to have a life like Yang's."

"But she wants your life."

"Yeah... You're a pretty good listener, you know that?"

"I have been told."

"No wonder you and Nora stick together. You always listen, and she always talks... I bet my money well."

"What is _ReNora_?!"

"... I'll tell you when it happens."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Sun)**

I was hanging by my tail on a tree-branch in Beacon's courtyard in the late afternoon, and a raven landed on the branch next to me. My eyes widened as, in a flurry of feathers, the bird was replaced by Rhea.

"Wait, you can turn into a bird?!"

"Yep." Rhea grabbed my hand and pulled me into a sitting-position next to her. "Runs in the family, kinda how Weiss's family has their glyphs."

"Neat! I wish I could turn into a monkey! That would be so cool!"

"Sun, an animal transformation comes with all the instincts. While ravens are smart, strategic, and excellent problem-solvers, I'm afraid that being a full-monkey might cause some... Complications."

"... Like, what kind of stuff?"

"List some behaviors that monkeys are known for."

"They eat bananas, climb trees, throw... Oh." I felt my face heat up. Rhea let out a small laugh.

"Yes. And you'd have that monkey-instinct at total war with your human-instinct for as long as you were in monkey-form."

"Yikes..." I frowned "Does that mean while you're a raven, you have to make sure you don't go after worms, small animals, and food?" Rhea's eyes widened, her face turning red.

"No! Yes... Maybe."

"... Wanna talk about it?"

"No!"

I started laughing, and Rhea scowled, crossing her arms. That scowl slowly became a smile.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Neptune)**

"Why did you do that?!"

"Those girls you were attempting to flirt with were Junior's body-guards. I saved your stupid ass from an embarassment or a fair kicking."

"Why? You interested, _little lady_?" I smirked. Rhea looked at me, glaring venemously, and I took a step back, raising my hands from fear. "Sorry! Sorry!"

Slowly, Rhea's glare became a smirk. I had a really bad feeling from behind me, and I turned around to see Yang and Ruby, their arms crossed and glaring.

Shit.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Unknown-1)**

I smirked as Rhea unsheathed her blade of Ice-Dust, glaring venemously.

"You."

"Hello, _Birdy_." I greeted. "It's been a while."

"What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"What do I always want?" I drew Wilt, getting into a fighting stance. Rhea did the same, and we charged, our blades meeting. I smiled deviously as she bared her teeth, enraged. "So, teamed up with my traitorous ex-partner and a Schnee? You know, you've been at a Beacon for a while, now. It should have come up."

"Grr... Shut up!" Rhea shoved me back and drove her blade into the ground, creating an ice-sheet that I slipped on. She whipped out her Fire-Dust blade and copied the action, creating steam. I chuckled darkly, looking around.

For someone who dressed in dark colors, she was rather good at vanishing in mist.

"Come on, _Birdy_." I taunted. "Come out." I spun around and met her blade with my own just before she could attack. "You're getting better."

"What can I say? It's all part of the job." Rhea pulled her blade back and stabbed forward, and I copied the motion. Each of us had the others blade at our throats. Rhea glared as I kept my face neutral. "Stalemate."

"Well?" I asked. "What now, _Birdy_?"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Qrow)**

I watched my lost niece leave the site of the Beacon Entrance Exam, stunned.

Rhea was alive, and even stranger: Raven had let her come to Beacon.

What was my sister doing?! First, she took Rhea away from her family and abandoned us, and now she was throwing Rhea into school with Ruby and YANG!

There would be chaos! Yang and Ruby wouldn't know what to think, and the odds are: Raven didn't tell Rhea that she had sisters, either! Or a dad! Or an uncle as awesome as me...

I had to admit, it was great to see that little tyke.

Hopefully, she was either nothing like her mother... Or everything.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Tai)**

The call ended, and I leaned back in my seat, stunned.

Rhea was alive. My little girl, who I thought was lost for ever, was alive and well.

I was going to see her, again.

This was unbelievable.

It was like I was becoming a father all over again...

But, I would never forgive Raven for taking away my chance to watch Rhea grow up.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Unknown-2)**

What was she doing?! She was there to learn how to fight for herself, not get herself wrapped up in the foolish and trivial affairs of those around her!

Damn, those Xiao-Long genetics... But what was I to expect? With Yang and Ruby there, the truth would have to come out eventually.

I just didn't expect her to become so attached to her sisters, and to those around her. It reminded me of my days on Team STRQ: fighting with Qrow, laughing with Summer, trying to cope with Tai's relentless flirting...

But I could never go back to those days. Summer was dead, Qrow worked for Ozpin, Tai was broken, and they would never be safe in my presence.

Rhea would have to be told the truth, soon.

All of this, these friendships and experiences, they were temporary.

The very things that had driven us from our home and our family were coming.

They were always coming for us.

For the Branwens.

 ** _Oooh. Ominous, ominous... And loads of comedy! I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	11. The RWBBY Twins (Ruby)

_Volume 3 Opening_

 _Soft piano music plays as a rose petal falls in the moonlight, drifting down to a single rose_

 _ **Maybe red's like roses!**_

 _A horde of Grimm trample the rose, charging._

 _ **Maybe it's the pool of blood**_

 _ **The innocents will lay in**_

 _ **When in the end, you've failed to save them!**_

 _Team RWBBY, Team JNPR, and Team SSSN are shown._

 _Then Emerald, Mercury, and Cinder are shown._

 _ **Their dying eyes**_

 _ **Are wide and white like snow...**_

 _Grimm overrun Beacon._

 _ **And now they know**_

 _ **The cost of trusting you's obliteration!**_

 _The Grimm climb/approach Beacon Tower, and Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch watch as the window shatters into fragments._

 _ **Mirrors will shatter,**_

 _ **Crushed by the weight of the world.**_

 _General Ironwood stands with his men, ready for battle._

 _Blake walks past an army of White Fang, led by a smirking Adam._

 _ **The pillars collapse in shame.**_

 _Team RWBBY and Team JNPR charge into battle, leading an army of Atlesian soldiers against a horde of Grimm._

 _ **There'll be no rest,**_

 _ **There'll be no love!**_

 _Yang battles Mercury._

 _Blake fights Adam._

 _Rhea faces a swirling, red portal with wide eyes._

 _Weiss slashes at Emerald._

 _Ruby fights Cinder._

 _ **There'll be no hero in the end**_

 _ **Who will rise above!**_

 _Winter Schnee stands with her little sister, Weiss._

 _Rhea waves awkwardly at Qrow Branwen as she stands between Yang and Ruby, the man's eyes wide._

 _Qrow and Winter face-off and glare at each other._

 _ **And when it ends,**_

 _ **The good will crawl...**_

 _A photo of Team STRQ._

 _A spinning gear, from Qrow's scythe._

 _ **The shining light will sink in darkness.**_

 _Rhea looks down with teary eyes at a Grimm-mask much like that of her mother, only white and turquoise instead of white and red._

 _A swirling red portal threatens to consume her as the rest of Team RWBBY faces her, waiting._

 _Rhea looks up._

 _ **Victory for hate incarnate,**_

 _ **Misery and pain for all...**_

 _Team RWBBY and Team JNPR are shown in free-fall, in a circle._

 _Pyrrha is the first to fall away, followed by the rest of her team._

 _Rhea looks away in shame, then changes into a raven and flies up._

 _ **When it falls...**_

 _Team RWBBY is shown in a circle, spinning under a spotlight with defeated expressions._

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 ** _"We need all of you to agree... Is it alright if Team RWBBY competes with one extra teammate?"_**

 ** _"Eh, she doesn't look like much."_**

 ** _"It's fine."_**

 ** _"What's she gonna do with that sword? I mean, seriously?"_**

 ** _"I'm chill."_**

Well... Those were the words of Team ABRN around ten minutes before our match.

They regretted them on the battlefield, to say the least.

Rhea is so awesome!

She and Yang kept tag-teaming against the leader of Team ABRN, Arslan. When they were in the Fire-Dust field, Yang took over. The ice was Rhea's territory. In the center, both of them were fighting the powerful Huntress.

Finally, we won the match using the most fun team attack! ... By that, I mean we just threw Yang at them.

 ** _/\_** ** _/\/\/\_**

Later that morning on the fairgrounds, we celebrated our victory.

"WE DID IT!" I cheered, then slouched. "Is anyone else starving?"

"I may have worked up an appetite." Blake admitted, then blushed feverishly as her stomach growled. Weiss deadpanned, annoyed.

"Gee. If only there was someplace on campus to get food, around here." My partner sighed. "Oh, wait." I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Weiss. I forget about the fairgrounds, too."

"I was being facetious."

"Well, if you were hungry, why didn't you just say so?!"

"Come on." Yang smiled. "I know just the place." Rhea rolled her eyes and smiled at our antics.

"I'll pay, guys. It's the least I could do to thank you for sending Yang and I to the doubles-rounds."

"I still think I should have gone." Weiss pouted. Suddenly, Rhea's eyes narrowed dangerously, and her hand closed around a wrist.

"Excuse me." Rhea glared as we turned to see a stunned Emerald. "Were you trying to steal my sister's wallet?"

"No, I-"

"Rhea, that's Emerald! Remember?!" I tried. "She's our friend! She wouldn't steal from me!" Rhea continued glaring at Emerald, but she grudgingly released her wrist.

"My mistake."

Emerald told us that she'd seen our fight and thought we were awesome, and she told us that she and Mercury were progressing.

We told her that Yang and Rhea were moving on, and she wished us luck, saying that if we met them in the arena to not expect an easy fight.

 ** _/\_**

We sat at the noodle-stand, eating our meals and talking with Team JNPR, who decided to join us.

"How could you guys possibly eat that much food?" Rhea asked. We were all done with our meals, and she was half-way done with her meal, which was half the size of ours.

"We're growing girls!" Yang complained, earning glares from Jaune and Ren. "... I'm not debating it."

"Are you sure it's wise to have eaten before a fight?" Ren asked. Pyrrha nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! It will give us energy!" She insisted. Nora let out a loud burp, and Rhea smirked.

"My God, there's an Ursa-Major on the loose in the fairgrounds. Everybody, run for your lives."

"Ugh..." Jaune glared slightly at Pyrrha before slumping over. "If I barf, I'm blaming you..."

"Ooh!" Nora grinned deviously. "Aim at the enemy!" We all laughed at that, and Ren rolled his eyes.

"Nora, that's disgusting!" Then, Ren pondered the idea. "But, if you do feel the urge..." Jaune held a thumb-up in consent with the plan.

"Got it."

"Well." Pyrrha stood, smiling. "We should be off."

"You guys think you're ready?" I asked, and Nora smiled brightly.

"Of course! We've got a world-renowned fighter on our team, what's basically a ninja, I can bench five of me, Jaune..." She paused. "We've trained all year, our weapons are AWESOME, Glynda barely yells at us anymore, and... Jaune!" We laughed as Ren frowned.

"Are you going to take that?" JNPR's ninja asked. Jaune sighed.

"She's not wrong."

"I'm kidding!" Nora smiled brightly, though her eyes were pained. "He knows I'm kidding! Don't be so nervous! The worst thing that could happen is we lose!" We watched as Nora's happy exterior slowly deteriorated. "Then, it's just a few more years of walking around school with everyone knowing we're failures. Our friends will slowly abandon us to preserve their social status. We won't be able to show our faces in class. No one will sit with us at the cafeteria. And Ren and I have no parents, so we'll have no home left to go to! We'll be officially renamed _Team LOSIPER_!"

Nora bust into sobs and slammed her head on the counter.

We all stared at her, stunned by what had just happened and by what we had just learned about our friends.

Ren and Nora had no parents? No home to go to? She really had that much fear that she'd be abandoned?

"So, yeah..." Ren tried to break the awkward silence. "We're feeling pretty good."

"Don't fret." Pyrrha placed hands on Jaune and Nora's shoulders, smiling. "If anything, we should be looking forward to a fight with actual guidelines and not... Well... _Murderers_."

No one saw Rhea look down, her eyes both narrowing and becoming sad at the same time.

"Yeah!" Yang agreed, grinning. "Don't sweat it! We've all faced WAY worse before."

"Let's see." Blake smiled. "Grimm invasions, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath..."

"And that's all while we were still in training!" I beamed. "Oh..! Imagine what it will be like when we graduate!" Rhea summed it up in one word.

"Hell."

 _ **:** Will Team JNPR please report to the battlegrounds immediately? **:**_ Professor Port asked over the loud-speakers. Doctor Oobleck chimed in.

 _ **:** Yes, just like they were scheduled to. SEVERAL MINUTES AGO! **:**_

"Well, it looks like this is it." Pyrrha smiled brightly. Team JNPR got up and walked off.

"Go get 'em!" I cheered. Rhea crossed her arms.

"They're screwed."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

That afternoon, after the team-matches, Weiss' sister arrived.

Uncle Qrow showed up and fought her, then had to go and tell Professor Ozpin something.

Even later than that, Uncle Qrow came to the Team RWBBY dorm. He looked around expectantly, eyes narrowing as they fell on Rhea's bed.

"Where is she?" Qrow asked. Yang and I tensed up.

"Who do you mean?" I asked. Qrow glared at us.

"You know who." He stated. "Where is Rhea?"

"She went to catch some more of the doubles fights." I admitted. "Pyrrha and Nora, and Sun and Neptune, are fighting today."

"Hmph." Qrow sighed. "So... I guess you know the truth."

"Why didn't anyone tell us?" Yang finally asked. Qrow looked down.

"We didn't know how to... Branwens are dangerous, Yang. The females have been especially known for their... _Volatility_." He explained. "You've already seen how dangerous your twin-sister is. But let me ask you this... What do you think Raven was training her into for the last sixteen years?"

"A Huntress." I replied. "Rhea's one of the best we've ever seen! You should see her, Uncle Qrow!"

"I have... I was there, at the Entrance Exam. I saw that she was alive, but she is FAR from safe."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Later that afternoon, Yang and Rhea were up against Flynt Coal and Neon Katt of Team FNKI.

"Ooh!" Neon observed my sisters. "It's like looking at a weird mirror!"

"We get that a lot." Rhea admitted. Flynt lowered his glasses and gazed at the two, frowning.

"You two sisters or something?" He asked curiously. My sisters nodded.

" _Twins_." Yang smirked, cracking her knuckles. Rhea and Yang exchanged glances, then nodded.

Had they somehow agreed on which person they'd fight?

"Ooh!" Neon grinned. "You look like you'd be a good roller-skater, _Blue_! I'm just no so sure about your sister. She's a little bit too... _Top-heavy_."

"EXCUSE ME?!"

 ** _/\_**

"Oh, boy." I rolled my eyes, sighing. "Here we go."

 ** _/\_**

Rhea and Yang locked eyes, and they nodded again.

They switched opponents.

The arena divided into the Fire-Dust field, a crystal quarry, an abandoned city, and the desert.

 _ **:** Three! **:**_ Port began. _**:** Two! One..! **:**_ Time for Oobleck-

 _ **:** BEGIN! **:**_

Flynt played his trumpet and released a sonic blast that propelled Neon forward, Rhea dodging and driving her Ice-Dust blade into the ground to remain stable while Yang chased after Neon.

Rhea took a more indirect approach, she and Flynt circling each other. Rhea placed a hand on the hilt of her sword, looking focused.

"What's your move, _Birdy_?" Flynt asked, smirking as he raised his trumpet. Rhea's eyes narrowed dangerously, briefly tinting dark-purple.

 ** _/\_**

"Oh no." I winced. This was not going to be good.

I could see Cardin paling in his seat on the other side of the arena.

 ** _/\_**

"Checkmate." Rhea replied, drawing her blade of Fire-Dust so fast that her hand was a blur. Rhea swiped the sword, sending an arc of fire flying at her opponent.

Flynt barely dodged the flames, and Rhea exchanged the Fire-Dust for Wind-Dust as he started playing his sonic-trumpet, countering his attack with her own, green cyclone.

 ** _/\_**

I turned my attention to Yang, seeing Neon making her angrier and angrier. I smirked, knowing that the show would come when Yang activated her semblance, then looked back at Rhea.

 ** _/\_**

Flynt used his trumpet to blow a fire-geyser's flames at Rhea, but she drove her Ice-Dust blade into the ground and blocked the attack.

"Hmmm..." Flynt frowned. "You're as good with Dust as that no-good _Schnee heiress_ on your team. Tell me, how cold is that _Ice Queen_?"

 ** _/\_**

Weiss gasped from next to me, hurt in her eyes.

A few months ago, this wouldn't have bothered her, but now the Ice Queen wasn't as frozen.

Blake and I placed hands on her shoulders.

 ** _/\_**

Rhea's purple eyes were getting closer to red as she raised her Ice-Dust blade, gritting her teeth.

"Weiss Schnee and I don't always get along, but..." Rhea's eyes momentarily flashed red. "Never insult my friend in front of me!"

Rhea charged, dodging the sonic-blasts from Flynt's trumpet. She was getting closer, and his weapon was mainly long-range.

That's when the boy divided into four, the four Flynts playing their trumpets together and sending the blast at Rhea.

My sister stomped each of her feet, small silver spikes leaving her soles and driving into the ground as she drove her Ice-Dust blade in to keep stable.

Flynt glared as he realized that his plan hadn't worked and went back into one person.

"You just can't quit, can you?"

"Nope." Rhea smirked, then stomped and shattered the ice. She drew a purple Dust-blade.

Gravity.

Driving the Gravity-Dust blade into the ground, Rhea caused all of the shards of ice to rise. Then, Rhea drew her Wind-Dust blade and swiped, sending the shards flying at Flynt.

They were too small and pointed for his sonic-blast to deflect, and the boy was knocked into a geyser with his aura half-depleted.

Flynt looked up as Rhea stepped onto the edge of the geyser.

"H-hey. We can talk this out." Flynt tried to smooth-talk his way out. Rhea seemed to ponder this, then my sister gave a cruel smirk.

"Love from Team RWBBY." Rhea turned and walked away as the geyser went off, finishing Flynt's aura. "I'll give Weiss your regards."

 ** _/\_**

Weiss smiled brightly from next to me, and I beamed.

Maybe the long feud was over.

...

Probably not.

 ** _/\_**

That's when Rhea noticed Neon skating circles around Yang.

"I'm not saying you should go on a diet! I'm saying that you really, REALLY need to go on a diet!"

"That's it!"

"You're _fat_!"

"HEY!" Rhea snarled, eyes flaring red as Neon and Yang noticed her. "Nobody talks like that about my sister!"

 _ **:** It looks like the **RWBBY Twins** are angry! **:**_ Port laughed. _**:** You wouldn't like them when they're... Upset. **:**_

Rhea and Yang both charged at the cat-Faunus both of them with burning red eyes.

Yang used _Ember Celica_ to tear up the field, and Rhea used her Ice-Dust blade (she called her swords _SilverWing_ , didn't she?) to make the place even worse for the skating Huntress.

Finally, Neon tripped up and was sent rolling into a geyser. Yang fired the final blast and took her out.

"YES!" The twins high-fived, their red eyes returning to normal. Then, Yang hugged Rhea.

"Thanks for the defense, little sister! You are the best!"

"Too... Tight..."

"We lost?" Neon asked, stunned and covered in ash. "We lost?! TEAM FNKI LOST?! That was... Amazing! You guys were like super-crazy awesome! We should definitely party together, sometime! Right, Flynt?!"

The trumpet-player stumbled over, looking at my sisters. He slowly smiled.

"That was pretty cool, defending your teammates like that... I dig it."

Blake, Weiss, and I ran over, hugging out teammates.

"Good job, you two!" Blake smiled as we pulled away. I nodded.

"Yeah!" I agreed. "Who's heading to the finals?" Yang punched Rhea's arm, beaming.

"I think _Rae_ earned it."

"Are you sure?" Rhea asked. "Yang, you know you want to be the one to head to the finals."

"Nah. Besides, this way I can embarrass you from the stands! Ruby and I will be holding up terrible signs and showing people bad pictures, shouting _that's our sister_!"

"... I hate you." Rhea deadpanned. Yang and I hugged her, and I giggled as she tensed up.

"No, you don't!"

 ** _/\_**

 _Cinder Fall frowned as she watched the match on her scroll._

 _"We're making another slight alteration to the plan." Cinder announced, looking up at Emerald and Mercury. "Mercury, you will not be getting injured in the finals... We need to get Rhea Branwen out of the way: for good."_

 _"Why not let me fight her?" Mercury asked. Cinder sighed._

 _"As skilled as you are, Mercury, Rhea is stronger. And she already suspects that all is not right with us. No, we need Rhea Branwen to fight someone she wouldn't dare harm. Someone she's grown close to..." Cinder smirked evilly as she looked down at her scroll, a new picture having popped up on the screen from a just-won match. "Perfect."_

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

That night, Team RWB(B)Y, Team (S)SSN, and Team JN(P)R watched from the stands as the randomizer spun rapidly. It slowed down, stopping...

 _ **:** Rhea Branwen and Sun Wukong! **:**_

 _ **Okay, okay. I know what you're all thinking. In the words of Lily from** How I Met Your Mother **: Youuuu son-of-a biiitch! But all of this is happening for a reason. There's a method to my madness... I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!**_


	12. Eyes As Red As Blood (Sun)

It was nighttime, and time to choose the first matchup of the semi-finals. All of the combatants stood at the center of Amity Coliseum's arena.

I saw three familiar faces: Pyrrha Nikos, Penny Polendina, and the one and only Rhea Branwen.

I had seen the other two's matches, but I hadn't had time to see Rhea's due to training. All I knew was that she won, and she beat her opponents BADLY with whatever she did.

I walked over to the three girls, smiling brightly.

"Good luck, guys." I grinned, holding my hand out. Penny grabbed it and shook so hard my shoulder almost came out of its socket.

"And to you as well, Sun! I know that we will all have a wonderful time! This is going to be so much fun!"

"Easy, _Pen_." Rhea tried. "You might make people pass out with your overly-adorable enthusiasm."

I laughed as the girl pretended to gag behind Penny's back, but from her smile I knew that she was fond of the strange, orange-haired girl.

"Good luck, Sun." Pyrrha bowed her head in respect. Then, she smirked. "But do not expect us to go easy on you if we are matched-up."

Something seemed off about the look in Pyrrha's eyes, but I convinced myself that it was nothing. She was probably nervous or something... Do star-athletes get nervous?

We split off to stand in line, but a gloved hand was placed on my shoulder to stop me.

"Sun?" Rhea asked. I turned to face her, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah?" I asked. Rhea's eyes shifted to that Mercury guy. She was warning me about him.

"... Be careful, okay?"

"It'll be fine. We've faced WAY worse, right?"

"I've saved your tail from _way worse_ , actually."

"Hey!"

Both of us laughed. Then, we split off and looked up as the randomizer started spinning. It started slowing down, finally stopping...

 _ **:** Rhea Branwen and Sun Wukong! **:**_ Port announced. My eyes widened, and I turned to Rhea as all of the other combatants left.

Her eyes were wide too, but she slowly calmed and gave a small smile. I smiled back.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

The arena floor rose into the air, stadium-lights turning on.

Rhea and I got into fighting stances, and I could hear Ruby and Yang shouting from the stands.

"Break a leg, sis!"

"Whup his butt!"

Then came the defining shout from my partner: the one and only, ever-timely Neptune Vasilias.

"You're screwed! Lay down and accept your oncoming defeat!"

Thanks, pal.

"You better not go easy on me." Rhea placed her hand on the hilt of her blade. I scoffed, smirking.

"What do you think I am? _Suicidal_?"

 _ **:** Three... Two... One... Fight! **:**_

I charged, and Rhea drew a blade of Ice-Dust, stabbing it into the ground. I leapt into the air and whipped Riyu-Bang and Jingu-Bang out, firing at the ice and reducing it to steam.

Rhea used that to her advantage, somehow vanishing in the mist despite her attire. I looked around for her, only to be kicked in the back and sent flying forward. I somersaulted and recovered, looking up and smirking.

"Kicks in a skirt that short, _Birdy_?" I asked tauntingly. Rhea's eyes widened, then seemingly tinted purple. She gritted her teeth, sheathed her Dust-blade, and charged, dodging blasts from my gun-chucks.

For a moment, we fought hand-to-hand, and it looked like we were evenly matched, then I combined Riyu-Bang and Jingu-Bang.

I used my staff to knock Rhea back, and she landed on her back, barely dodging as I almost brought my staff down on her head.

The Branwen stood, then winced and raised a hand to the side of her head. Her hair briefly lit up blue.

 ** _/\_**

 _"Oh no." Yang stared from the stands. "I think she's getting angry."_

 _"What's wrong?" Blake asked. Yang looked at her._

 _"She's like me. Rhea has the same semblance as me, but with ice. And if she's trying that hard not to lose control of herself... Sun doesn't stand a chance!"_

 _"I have to warn him." Blake whipped out her scroll and started typing._

 ** _/\_**

Rhea looked up, her glaring eyes once more tinting purple as she drew her brown Earth-Dust blade.

I charged and split my staff back into gun-chucks, and while she managed to deflect well for a little while, I was soon able to hit her and send her flying to the other side of the arena.

Slowly, Rhea pushed herself up on her hands and knees. I thought I'd won, but then she started glowing.

Icy mist curled off her hair, and when she looked up at me, her eyes glowed a angry, burning red.

My scroll buzzed.

 _ **-** Stop! She's trying not to lose control! **-**_ A message from Blake read. Lose control of **_what_**?!

Oh...

 ** _"With every hit, she gets stronger! And she uses that energy to fight back! That's what makes her special!"_**

Twins have similar powers.

I looked back as Rhea stood, unclasping her sheath of Dust-blades from her belt and getting into a Yang-like fighting stance.

Silver and blue gauntlets activated and grew on her wrists, and she reared her fists back, engaging some Ice-Dust rounds. Then, Rhea slammed her fists together.

 _ **:** What's this?! **:**_ Professor Port's voice came back over the comms. _**:** Rhea Branwen has not lost any of her aura?! **:**_ I looked up to see the boards. Rhea's aura bar was glowing brighter.

 _ **:** It appears that Ms. Branwen is activating her semblance! **:**_ Doctor Oobleck announced, freaking out. _**:** And, if she's anything like her twin... Mr. Wukong, now would be a good time to RUN! **:**_

Rhea gave a battle cry and charged, leaping up and slamming her fist into the ground at my feet. The blue shockwave sent me flying, and Rhea changed into a bird. She flew up, changed back, and let herself fall down, slamming her fist into my gut.

I fell to the arena floor with a wince.

 _ **:** Mr. Wukong has already lost half of his aura! **:**_ Port exclaimed. _**:** But Ms. Branwen's semblance is quickly burning through hers! It's anyone's match! **:**_

I got to my feet as Rhea got ready for another attack.

I glared, getting into a fighting stance as the Branwen's eyes burned into mine without mercy.

Then, I charged and started firing my gun-chucks again, Rhea countering my Dust-rounds with her own.

I hit her in the stomach once, and she winced, but then she got back to firing at me.

 ** _/\_**

 ** _"Now." Cinder Fall ordered. Emerald Sustrai looked forward and focused._**

 ** _/\_**

A ringing sound filled my ears, and I winced.

 ** _/\_**

 _"Sun?" Rhea asked, eyes fading back to their normal blue as icy-rage became concern. The girl looked up at the stands, making the **time-out** sign. Then, Rhea approached, frowning. "Sun?"_

 ** _/\_**

Rhea charged forward, fist reared back and eyes blazing.

I raised Jingu-Bang and fired, hitting her in the chest.

 ** _/\_**

 _Rhea gasped as the Dust-round shattered her dark-blue aura, falling to her hands and knees with a cry of pain._

 _She was defenseless._

 ** _/\_**

Rhea winced, then roared in rage and charged again.

 ** _/\_**

 _Rhea weakly reached for her Ice-Dust blade._

 _ **:Stop the fight!:** Port ordered. **:Ms. Branwen is out of aura!:** Oobleck panicked._

 _ **:He's going to shoot her again!:**_

 _Rhea's fingers fastened around her blade, and she looked up._

 ** _/\_**

I fired.

 ** _/\_**

 _Rhea plunged the blade into the ground, creating an ice wall._

 ** _/\_**

The Dust-round hit something solid, and I raised an eyebrow.

 ** _/\_**

 _Rhea shouted in surprise as the wall shattered, the dark-haired girl getting thrown back._

 _"Damn!" Rhea cursed, then looked up, eyes wide. "Sun, stop!"_

 ** _/\_**

Rhea smirked, but she still hadn't fired a single round.

Was she out of Dust-rounds?

Was she toying with me?

How had she stopped my Dust-round?

I raised my gun again as she readied to charge.

 ** _/\_**

 _Rhea struggled to her feet, raising her hands.  
_

 _"The fight's over, Sun! You win! What's wrong with you?!" Rhea's eyes widened slightly. "Your eyes..."_

 ** _/\_**

 ** _"She sees." Cinder glared. "Finish her, now!"_**

 ** _Emerald nodded._**

 ** _/\_**

 _"Sun, please!" Rhea took a hesitant step forward. "We're friends! I don't want to hurt you!"_

 ** _/\_**

Rhea finally charged, and I fired one last time.

 ** _/\_**

 _Rhea gasped, eyes widened as she clutched her abdomen._

 ** _/\_**

The strange noise returned to my ears, and I blinked a few times, my vision hazy as I looked around.

A fallen Dust-blade and sheath.

Shattered ice, Dust-summoned.

Several of my shell-casings were scattered on the ground, with barely any from Rhea.

Then, my eyes fell on a horrific sight, and they widened.

Two silver and blue gauntlets deactivated, turning back into bulky bracelets as a beaten Rhea fell to her knees, her blue eyes wide and unblinking as she held her stomach, blood slowly pooling across her clothing.

Slowly, those blue eyes traveled up and met mine, filling with tears of pain. Her expression was shocked, pained, and scared.

Then, her facial muscles slackened, her eyes closing.

My gun-chucks fell to the ground as she did.

 _ ***a slow, sad version of** Not Fall in Love With You **plays, intertwined with a slow, sad version of** Die *****_

I looked up to see a horrified crowd, the screens playing...

I went on a rampage.

Rhea pleaded with me.

She noticed something wrong.

I shot her.

I covered my mouth with my left hand to choke back a scream, then gripped the sides of my head.

My eyes fell back to Rhea's unconscious form, to all the blood.

What had I done?

 ** _... Sorry. Sorry, sorry, SORRY! But know that this is done for a reason, and this story is far from over. Rhea isn't dead, she's just going to be really, REALLY pissed off. I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc._**


	13. Broken Wing (Blake)

We ran down to the arena as Rhea was loaded onto a cot.

"W-wha..?" Rhea started waking up, her eyes opening.

"She's awake!" A medic shouted. "Hurry, we need her back under to get her stabilized!" A needle was injected in her right arm.

Rhea looked around weakly, searching the area. Her eyes locked on Sun, and she shakily raised her left hand.

"Not... His... Fault..." Rhea winced, pointing at Sun. "Eyes..."

Then, Rhea went under again. That's when a Yang-bomb went off.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Yang snarled, grabbing Sun by the collar and lifting him into the air. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

Team RWB(B)Y, Team (S)SSN, and Team JNPR ran over.

"Yang, stop!" Ruby pleaded. Yang turned to her, eyes glowing red.

"HE TRIED TO KILL OUR SISTER! YOU ALL SAW!"

"Look at him!" Ruby exclaimed. Yang looked up at Sun, only to find the most remorseful and sorry-looking soul she'd ever seen.

The blonde boy was close to tears, and he wasn't even trying to fight back.

Yang's eyes slowly faded back to lilac, and she released him.

"... What happened?" Yang asked, still glaring at the boy. Sun looked down at the floor, then gripped the sides of his head again.

"I... I'm so sorry." Sun closed his eyes, gritting his teeth and shaking. "I don't know what's wrong with me... I saw something..."

"Rhea said something." I declared. "She kept talking about Sun's eyes, and she said it wasn't his fault."

 ** _/\_**

A squadron of Atlesian Knights arrived, but we told General Ironwood and the match officials what Rhea had said, then Sun finally calmed down and told us what he saw.

"There was this noise." Sun began. "It came with what I saw, before and after the hallucinations. Like, a high-pitched whining noise. That's when Rhea started getting violent, in my eyes. She was using her semblance, had a lot of aura, and she going for the kill. I was trying to stop her without hurting her too badly, and I was panicking."

"While she was doing the same for you in reality." Weiss noted. "But what could cause those visions?"

"Hmm..." Ironwood paused. "If memory serves, I once went toe-to-toe with a master-thief who could cause the mind to perceive things that weren't there. A man called _Jade Sustrai_."

" _Sustrai_?" Yang asked. "Like  Emerald Sustrai? She's competing in the tournament!"

"Rhea even thought something was off with her." Ruby gasped. "She tried to steal my wallet!"

"Yeah..." Jaune frowned. "But why would anyone want to hurt Rhea?"

"What makes you assume Rhea was the target?" Ren asked. Jaune looked at everyone.

"If Sun was the target, Emerald would have made him see a surrender while Rhea attacked. Instead, she made Sun see an attack while Rhea surrendered... Whoever is behind this wanted Rhea out of the picture: permanently."

"Well..." Yang sighed. "She is a Branwen, and our family is dangerous." Yang's eyes widened. "Something big is going to happen. Something bad."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

The next day, we went to visit Rhea in the hospital.

Team RWB(B)Y.

Team JNPR.

And... Team SSSN.

The girl's abdomen was bandaged, and she wasn't allowed to sit up. Hair spread out around her like a fan, dressed in a blue hospital gown, she looked up at us with a weak smirk.

"Hey." Rhea greeted tiredly. "How's life on the outside? Can airships go into space, yet?"

"Really?" I asked. "Do you really think that now is the time for jokes?"

"Who says I'm joking? No one's told me how long I've been out. I'M SUING, NURSE JANET!"

"Don't strain yourself." Ren warned. "You'll only make your injuries worse... What happened?"

"Well, I was in the middle of kicking Sun's ass when he sorta tensed up. He raised a hand to his head, and his eyes sorta got cloudy and dilated..." Rhea paused and yawned. "Sorry... These bastards have me on a lot of drugs."

"I knew your hostility was at an all-time low." Weiss commented. Rhea glared.

"Shut up, _Ice Queen_... Sun sorta lost it after that, but something wasn't right. It was like he was defending as he attacked, like he thought someone was fighting back."

"Yeah." Sun finally spoke, announcing his presence. "I saw you attacking me... Rhea, I'm so sor-"

"Hey, dumbass. If I was attacking you, there's no way that you would have lasted that long... No apology necessary. It wasn't your fault." Rhea smirked, then winced in pain. "And I assure you, when I find the one responsible for this, they're not walking away."

"Hell, yeah." Yang cracked her knuckles, glaring. "Mess with my sister? Someone's gonna die."

"You bet." Rhea smiled weakly. Then, she frowned. "Tell me that the matches have been postponed."

"No." Jaune shook his head. "They're going to keep going. But we've been told to look out for anything out of the ordinary in the matches. Everyone's been made aware, and Emerald's officially Remnant's Most Wanted."

"They're going after the strongest." Rhea winced. "If Penny or Pyrrha fight, things'll get bad."

"Emerald wouldn't dare-" Weiss tried. Our teammate interrupted.

"She can bypass security, make the guards see her as someone else... And what makes you think she'd be working alone?"

"We'll figure this out." Yang placed a hand on Rhea's shoulder. "You need to rest... By the way, we've called Dad and Uncle Qrow."

"What? Yang, I don't want to meet them like this. I wanna be a badass."

Wow, she really was all drugged-up. What kind of pain medications did they have her on?

"I know... But do you really think that any force on Remnant could stop those two from seeing you? Grudge-matches big enough to level cities run in the family, after all."

"You don't know the half of it." Rhea sighed. Ruby gently leaned over and hugged Rhea, closing her eyes and letting a tear fall.

"I'm so happy you're okay." The silver-eyed leader of Team RWBBY whispered. Yang joined in, and Rhea smiled.

"Like anything could bring me down."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 _Pyrrha Nikos and Penny Polendina faced each other in the semi-finals of the Vytal Festival Tournament._

 _Pyrrha went over everything in her head, over and over._

 _ **Ringing ears.**_

 _ **Sights and sounds that didn't make any sense.**_

 _Slowly, she looked up at Penny and gestured to her eyes._

 _Penny's eyes narrowed briefly, then she seemed to understand and nodded, smiling brightly._

 _The battle began, and it was fierce, then Pyrrha looked down as she heard ringing in her ears._

 _Her weapons warped in her hands, and Pyrrha looked up, glaring as she raised her hand to stop the match._

 _"Emerald Sustrai is here!" Pyrrha shouted, quickly becoming angry. "She's sabotaging the match!" That's when a gunshot fired, and Penny gasped as she clutched her side. "Penny!"_

 _Pyrrha ran over as the orange-haired teen fell to her knees, kneeling next to the injured girl. Her emerald-green eyes widened to the sight of sparking circuitry in the place of flesh and blood. The whole crowd could see..._

 _ **:Do you see the deception, now?:** A woman's voice asked. **:The lies you have been told? The secrets before your very eyes? Our academies' headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet... What do we have here? A nation's attempt at a synthetic army? What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. And what, I ask you, are the academies teaching their students? Huntsman and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. Just last night, we witnessed what might just be the murder of an innocent first-year student. Or is she innocent? Perhaps Ozpin felt as though accepting a murderer, vigilante, and traitor's child, quite possibly all of those things herself, into his school would be a sign that he takes orders from no one and does what he pleases despite the risk and danger... Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong... But I know that the existence of peace is fragile and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... Equally undesirable. Our kingdoms are at the brink of war yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So, I ask you... When the first shots are fired... Who do you think you can trust?:**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Well, shit just hit the fan. Penny's alive (if injured)! What else will Rhea change?! I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!**_


	14. A Blue Dragon's Contemplations (Rhea)

My eyes widened as I watched the screen, then it went to static.

I heard roars and mayhem outside, signifying the Grimm's attack.

I pushed myself up as the hospital was sent into chaos, slowly stumbling over to the door. I eyed my combat-outfit and weapon on a chair in the corner, then closed and locked the door.

No one would be able to stop me from doing what I had to.

I limped to the supply cabinet and found some gauze, pulling my hospital gown up and firmly wrapping my abdomen. I did the same thing with medical tape, ensuring that the stitches and wound wouldn't rip open. Then, I donned my combat outfit and walked with some pain (not as much as before) to the window.

I had to do this.

I had to get to Beacon.

I had to get to my teammates, my friends.

I had to fight.

I had to be strong.

I had to win.

Nurse Janet arrived, and she pounded on the door with all she had, looking in through the tinted window.

"Ms. Branwen, don't!" She almost-screamed. "In your state, fighting could make the damage done to your body irreversible! You could die!"

I looked over at my shoulder, glaring at the middle-aged woman.

"My teammates, friends, and sisters are out there. It's worth any risk."

With that, I opened the window and jumped, changing into a raven and soaring into the Grimm-filled sky.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I arrived at Beacon as all Hell broke loose, the Grimm and the White Fang attacking the school.

I knew who was leading the White Fang, and my bird-eyes narrowed as I steeled myself for another encounter.

I noticed a fight in the burning cafeteria and I flew in a window and landed on a support beam, changing back as I gazed down.

My eyes widened in horror as Adam Taurus drove his blade into Blake's abdomen, and she screamed. Yang appeared in a doorway.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Yang screamed in rage, flying at Adam, her hair and eyes blazing. Adam was ready.

My eyes widened in horror as I watched Yang's arm fly away from her body, my older twin sister landing on the ground in a heap.

No.

Not Yang.

Yang couldn't have gotten hurt.

It was impossible.

Yang was strong.

Yang was brave.

Yang...

Was brash.

Was arrogant.

Was too easily enraged.

Adam was the perfect counter. He was calm, collected, strategic, and his aim was precise and perfect. And God, he was fast. I was a match. But Yang...

Yang was lying there, unconscious, her arm severed with the stump bleeding as she curled up on the ground in agony.

It all happened so fast, and I couldn't stop it...

Adam.

I felt my eyes flare red as Adam slowly approached Blake, who had thrown herself between Adam and Yang.

"No..." I gritted my teeth. Then, I lost control and snarled. "NO!"

I leapt down, activating my gauntlets and changing, my blades falling to the ground as the sheath unfastened, and I raised an arm.

Adam turned back just in time to get a powerful punch to the chest, an Ice-Dust round going off as my fist made contact, the man's aura shattering as he was thrown back into a wall, instantly knocked unconscious.

He did this!

He betrayed me!

He led the White Fang into this battle, this war!

He hurt Blake!

He hurt Yang!

...

But I had spared him in each of our encounters.

I thought he could change because he, in turn, spared me.

I was a fool...

Never again.

I growled and slammed my fists together, ready to finish it, but...

"Rhea, she's gone into shock!" Blake exclaimed worriedly. I blinked back the red, my eyes widening as I turned around and kneeled next to my sister.

She was so broken.

In such agony.

I wasn't fast enough.

I failed her.

This was all my fault.

"Yang." I stared, then gently scooped my older sister up. "Blake, can you walk?" The cat-Faunus nodded. "... Let's get out of here."

 ** _/\_**

We got Yang to the airships, and I watched over Yang, Blake, Zwei, an exhausted Weiss, and an injured Ren and Nora. Sun placed a hand on my shoulder.

"There's nothing more that you could have done." He told me. "How are you even here?" I took a shaky breath.

"I came to protect my sisters... And I failed."

"Rhea, you're only one person." Sun tried, giving a tired smile. "You've done more than anyone would ever have asked of you. You're injured, but you came back to help. You haven't failed... This just wasn't our day."

"Blake's hurt. Yang's hurt. I wasn't fast enough to save them. I didn't kill Adam whe ever I had the chance. This whole thing is my fault. I-" My eyes widened as Sun hugged me. He pulled away, looking down.

"It's my fault. I shot you. If I hadn't, then you would have been here, and everyone would have been okay."

"Sun-"

"I'll only stop blaming myself if you stop blaming yourself. Deal?"

"... Deal."

No deal.

This was all my fault.

No one could possibly convince me otherwise.

...

But I wouldn't let Sun blame himself.

 ** _/\_**

Ruby came and went away again just as quick, taking Weiss with her as she went to find Jaune and Pyrrha.

I followed her out of concern, then gasped as I saw fire on top of Beacon Tower, my eyes narrowing.

I changed into a raven and soared high above the school, my raven-eyes zeroing-in on a fierce battle taking place.

Pyrrha was locked in conflict with a woman in red. And Pyrrha was losing. The woman struck her heel with an arrow, raising her bow to shoot Pyrrha in the heart.

"Do you believe in destiny?" Pyrrha asked weakly. The woman glared.

"Yes."

That's when I transformed back into a human, flying down with a battle-cry, my Ice-Dust sword drawn.

I wouldn't fail again.

 ** _Duh-duh-DUUUUUUUUUUUH!_**

 ** _What will happen next?! Will Rhea put an end to Cinder Fall's plans? And if she does, what will happen to Salem's plans? What will Rhea do when she meets the "new" Yang? Who paid attention to the changes I wrote in the theme song? What will Rhea choose?_**

 ** _I own nothing! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	15. The Masks (Pyrrha)

All was silent as the two stood there, the Fall Maiden staring at Rhea in astonishment.

Rhea's glare was cold and unfeeling. It was so... Scary.

"Rhea?" I asked. Rhea didn't say a word, only pulled her sword from the woman, the Ice-Dust blade slick with blood.

"S-Salem." The woman whispered, her orange/golden eyes falling on me. For some reason, I thought she was trying to tell me something...

 _The Branwen must not receive this power._

The light left her eyes, they closed, and the woman fell to the ground.

She was dead, a light-blue mist rising from the wound as her insides froze.

An orange light left the woman and hit me, fire momentarily blazing around my eyes and warmth filling my body.

I was the Fall Maiden.

Rhea took a cloth from her pocket and wiped the blood from her blade, dropping the cloth next to the woman.

My eyes were wide as I watched her, stunned by the lack of emotion or care that I was seeing.

"R-Rhea?" A voice asked. Rhea turned around to see Ruby.

Her little sister's silver eyes were wide with horror.

Ruby Rose had witness Rhea Branwen killing the Fall Maiden, and she was as horrified as anyone should be. As horrified as Rhea should have been.

It's not like she had killed anyone before, right?

"Ruby-" Rhea reached out, only to get hit by something. The Grimm Dragon swung its tail, batting Rhea into a wall hard enough for Rhea to go through it, debris hitting her.

"RHEA!" Ruby screamed, and there was a white light...

 ** _/\_**

When I could see again, I was greeted by this sight:

The Grimm Dragon was frozen in time, mid-roar.

The woman's body remained on the ground, blood pooling and freezing as her fingers turned blue. She was still freezing from the inside-out.

Ruby laid on the ground, unconscious and barely breathing.

Rhea stood from the rubble and stumbled over to me, looking down. I was trapped in a kneeling position, blood seeping from my heel, and I saw no light in Rhea's blue eyes.

They were ice.

"Rhea... You killed her." I gestured to the woman. Rhea glared.

"It was her or you, _Cereal Box_." She stated coldly. I could barely breathe.

"You... You don't regret it?"

"Why? You wanna be dead?"

"No..." I frowned. "Rhea, what's gotten into you?"

"Nothing." Rhea replied, going over and scooping Ruby up. "It's not like I saw my teammate and older sister harmed by an old friend who betrayed me, and I couldn't do anything about it. What could possibly make you think that?" She returned to me and helped me to my feet.

How would she carry us both?

As luck would have it...

"What?!" I asked as a bird, a crow, changed into a man. Qrow. "Rhea, he has your semblance!"

"No." Rhea shook her head. "He turns into a crow." Qrow looked over. "I turn into a raven." His red eyes widened. "Well? Are you going to help or not?"

"Rhea?" The man asked. The blue-eyed girl rolled her eyes.

"You're a freakin' psychic." Rhea deadpanned. "Now, help me get my sister and my friend out of here, or I swear I'll show you just how much of my mother's personality I inherited."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Qrow and Rhea got Ruby and I to the hospital, which had been spared from the attacks of Grimm and Knights.

My teammates ran into my hospital room, screaming. They called me an _idiot_ , said I _shouldn't have gone alone_ , asked why I _tried to leave them_.

With one tearful _I'm sorry_ from me, their rage became tears.

"Don't you ever scare us like that ever again!" Nora crushed me in a hug. Ren awkwardly joined in, and I smiled. They pulled away, and Jaune approached, still glaring slightly.

"Um..." I remembered what I had done the last time I saw him. I kissed him and shoved him in a locker. "I'm sorry?" Jaune crossed his arms.

"I think we both know that there's something that you've been hiding from me."

"I... Well... I-" I noticed Nora dragging Ren out of the room. "I don't know what you m-" Jaune pressed his lips to mine, and I tensed up. Jaune pulled away, and I stared at him. "D-did you just-?"

"Yep."

" _ARKOS_!" Nora burst back into the room, Ren popping up behind her. I blushed as Jaune gaped. Then...

"... I'M GOING TO KILL RHEA!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

My teammates fell asleep, scattered around my room.

Then, there was a strange noise outside my window.

I slowly climbed to my feet and limped over, looking outside.

A woman stood under a flickering streetlight.

She wore a somewhat-familiar outfit in hues of red and black, her face hidden by a Grimm-mask. However, I could see her wild black hair, and she stood with confidence, her gloved hand wrapped firmly around the hilt of a large, sheathed blade.

My eyes widened as I recognized the design of the weapon.

That's when someone left the hospital and approached the woman.

Rhea.

When the two stood face-to-face, the woman in red removed her mask. She was an older, red-eyed carbon-copy of Yang and Rhea.

Raven Branwen.

"Rhea." Raven greeted cooly. Rhea nodded once.

"Mother... We have a lot to talk about, don't we?"

"Yes. But first..." Raven held something out. It was a Grimm-mask, highlighted in turquoise instead of red. Rhea's eyes widened, and she took a step back. "It's not safe for you, here."

What?

"But, what about Ruby and Yang? And my father?"

"They will be fine."

"I can't leave my sisters, not while Ruby's in a coma! And Yang's lost her arm!"

"Already attached?"

"Yeah! Problem? Yang's your daughter, too!"

"Your safety is my priority... Your time at Beacon has made you soft."

" _Soft_?! I just survived  another fight with Adam! I just _killed_ an all-powerful pyromaniac!"

"You were also almost killed by a second-rate Huntsman-in-training."

"Sun isn't _second-rate_! He's an excellent Huntsman, and my  friend! And it wasn't his fault!"

"The warrior I raised would have killed him, killed him to saved herself. You tried to use reason at the dawn of war, and you paid the price."

Wait... Rhea was a killer?

"And I'll keep paying, if it will keep everyone safe! I'm protecting my sisters, my team, and my friends! No matter what happens to me!"

... She did prove that.

"And what if your presence places them in danger?" Raven was still holding the Grimm-mask out. "Branwens and Roses, two long lines of dangerous warriors. But the Roses were always more discrete with their capabilities... The world knows our strength, and they will come to fear you, my daughter, as they did me. Yang is safe from harm, her heritage doubted thanks to your father. They don't see all of the resemblance, her true power hidden behind _blonde-and-perky_... Your only choice is to return to the shadows. Or will you lose Ruby and Yang like I lost Summer Rose?" Rhea gazed with wide eyes at the mask, uncertain.

"I..."

I had never seen Rhea Branwen so scared, so unsure.

Was she placing us in danger with her mere presence?

Was she really someone to fear?

My eyes widened as Rhea slowly reached out for the mask.

No...

"Raven." A man stepped out of the shadows, glaring as he got between Rhea and her mother. Qrow. "Leave." Raven raised an eyebrow.

"What's this? Guarding a child you barely know?"

"She's my _niece_."

"She's my daughter."

"She's also **my** daughter." All eyes widened as a tan, muscled, blonde man with blue eyes dressed in orange and brown stepped out of the shadows, arms crossed and glaring. "Leave."

Raven turned to Rhea, then shoved the mask into her hands.

"You know where to find me when you make your choice." Raven raised a red blade, slashing a portal in the air and vanishing through it.

 ** _DUH-DUH-DUUUUUUH! The altered title-sequence's predictions have almost all come true! What will happen next time?! Will Sun live through the night once Taiyang Xiao-Long finds him?! I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc._**


	16. Bird In Flight (Taiyang)

After Raven vanished, I turned to face the stunned seventeen year-old girl who stood behind Qrow.

The girl who was the fifth member of Team RWBBY.

The girl who had been on the other side of a scroll's camera.

The girl who'd been shot in the Vytal Festival Tournament.

The girl who'd protected my daughters, especially that night.

The girl Raven raised.

The girl who inherited nothing from me, save her eyes.

Rhea.

Slowly, Rhea looked up from the mask her mother had forced into her hands and at me. I could have sworn that I saw her hiding something gold underneath it.

"Um..." Rhea didn't even know what to say to me. "Thanks?" I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow.

"What were you thinking?"

"Huh?"

"You got shot, and you decided that you had to face an army of Grimm, rogue Atlesian tech, White Fang, Adam Taurus, Cinder Fall, AND a Grimm Dragon?!" I asked. Rhea laughed nervously, looking uncomfortable.

"Uh, Qrow?" She asked tensely. "Little help, here?"

"No way." My ex-brother-in-law shook his head. "You threatened my life ten seconds after we met. You're on your own, _Ice-Cube_."

"Great... Uh..." Rhea shrugged. "Sorry?" I slowly smiled.

"Guess you didn't inherit everything from your mom, after all." I grinned. Rhea blinked a few times, surprised by this turn of events.

"So, are you angry, or-?" Her question was answered when I pulled her into a hug. "I guess your side of the family does this a lot..?"

"NOPE!" Qrow joined in the hug, smirking as we glared at him. "Raven just hates people." Rhea smiled uncomfortably, then deadpanned.

"Can you guys let me go, now? I definitely inherited personal space from Mom." We let go, and Rhea's eyes narrowed. "Hold that thought." Rhea turned around and stabbed a blade of Ice-Dust into the tailcoat of a girl's outfit, pinning her in place. We hadn't even noticed her in the dark. "Fleeing somewhere?"

"Rhea, I..." The girl looked down. "Yang got hurt by Adam, and it was all my fault. I'm leaving so Adam won't have any reason to come after anyone I care about."

"One problem with that." Rhea glared. "As long as I'm around, he wouldn't dare. Also, you really think you have a choice? You know that I can, and will, hunt you down and drag you back. I've done it before, and I'll do it again. You're staying with the team, Blake Belladonna. Of that, I can assure you." My middle-daughter removed her sword. "Let's find Weiss." We looked up to see a large airship landing, a familiar emblem on the side. _Schnee._ "And fast."

 ** _/\_**

Weiss was sitting between Yang and Ruby's bedsides when we found her, a blue-haired boy resting his hand on her shoulder.

A blonde boy with a monkey-tail watched, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, worried.

That was the son of a bitch who hurt Rhea, but it wasn't the time. Yet.

As I rushed to sit by my daughters' sides, Rhea used a deep-turquoise blade to slash a portal in the air, glaring at Weiss.

"Get in."

"What?!"

"Unless you want your ass dragged back to Atlas, we need to hide you from your father."

"That-" A voice spoke. "Will not be necessary." We all turned to see a man in white surrounded by hired guards. "It's time to go, Weiss."

All was silent as Weiss stood and turned to her father.

"No." Weiss replied. "My teammates need me. I'm not leaving." Schnee glared, his icy blue eyes blazing.

"What?"

"You heard me." Weiss took a deep breath. "I don't care if you cut me off. I don't care if you take my title away from me. I'm a Huntress, and I'm staying with my team, with my friends." Weiss fell into place next to Blake, the blue-haired boy standing behind her and glaring at Schnee.

"I'm your father, young lady! You will do as I say!"

"No." Weiss crossed her arms. "I'm not going with you." The guards moved to step forward, but Weiss' father raised a hand, frowning and raising an eyebrow as he gazed at his daughter.

"Hmm... You feel strongly about this?" He asked. Weiss gave a nod. "It... It takes a lot of courage and strength to stand up to your own father." A small smile flickered. "I seem to have chosen my heiress well. Very well, Weiss. You may stay with your team, for now." Schnee's eyes flitted over to Blake and the monkey-boy. "Though, I have a hard time believing how much you've changed, what with the company you keep."

With that, Weiss' father turned and left, taking his guards.

"Wait..." Monkey-Boy raised an eyebrow, gesturing to Blake. "How did he-?"

"Who cares?" Qrow asked. "Schnees always see right through everything." As he kept muttering under his breath about the _Ice Queen_ , Winter Schnee, I finally had time to look up at the blonde boy.

I stood, glaring and walking over as the others backed away.

"You've got some nerve, _Bonzo_." I growled, cracking my knuckles. "Coming near my daughters after the stunt you pulled yesterday."

"Wait, what?" The boy asked. Then, his eyes widened. "I'm so dead..." That's when Rhea stepped between us.

"Out of the way!"

"It wasn't his fault." Rhea declared, catching my fist with ease when I tried to hit the cowering blonde over her shoulder. "Emerald Sustrai made him hallucinate, like she probably did with Coco and Pyrrha. And look, I'm fine."

"That doesn't mean I still can't break his legs!"

"Does he look like a killer to you?!" Rhea snapped, pushing me back. "Sun is my friend, and I know him better than I know you, so lay off!"

Everyone went silent at the accusation. Even the blonde monkey-Faunus looked surprised by Rhea's bold statement... A statement that wasn't necessarily false.

My second-eldest daughter did know that boy better than he knew me.

"Ten Lien on Rhea." The blue-haired boy whispered to Weiss. "And five on Sun fainting."

Rhea and I glared at each other. My second-eldest daughter remained unyielding, standing between me and her attacker. Her friend, apparently.

"Fine." I finally went back to Ruby and Yang's side, still glaring at the boy. I had made my position clear...

If that Sun kid and I were ever in the same place without Rhea, I'd kill him.

Suddenly, there was a crash in the room, and we turned to see Rhea leaning against a wall, a table knocked over.

"I... I'm not feeling so good." Rhea fell, and Sun caught her. She was unconscious, and pale. Blood started spreading across her abdomen.

"She's still hurt!" Sun shouted, looking around desperately. "Help! Rhea?! RHEA!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

We called the doctors in, and the measures Rhea had gone to in order to participate in the Battle of Beacon were revealed.

That girl was just like her mother.

Qrow and I finally took all three of my daughters home, their teammates staying in the guest rooms at our cabin.

Ruby was still in a coma, and Yang had gone into a depression. She wouldn't see Weiss or Blake. When Rhea healed and tried to see her...

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yang snarled, Rhea backing away. "Go! Leave! That's all you're good at!"

"What do you-?"

"Uncle Qrow explained it pretty clearly, dear sister! Branwen women always run away when they're needed most! So go, run away! No one's stopping you!"

"You want me to run?!" Rhea asked, finally snapping. "Fine!" Rhea finally revealed the mask her mother gave her, and Yang's eyes widened. "W-who needs a sister like you, anyway?! You've given up!" Rhea turned and readied to storm out the door, not even noticing Qrow and I standing in the hallway.

"Rhea, I..." Yang didn't know what to say. Rhea paused, gripping the doorframe.

"When I was little, I used to have dreams about a little girl who looked like me. A girl with blonde hair and lilac eyes. I always thought that if I ever met her for real..." Rhea stopped herself. "I always wanted a big family. Older and younger siblings, a dad, maybe some crazy cousins and aunts and uncles. But when I was a little girl, all alone with only my mother and surrounded by enemies... I always wished the most that I had an older sister. Now, it turns out that I have one. And she was brave, strong, kind, and she never gave up..." Rhea looked back, a tear racing down her face. "But Mom was right. She was right all along. I put you in danger... I let you down."

With that, Rhea turned and ran down the hallway.

"Rhea!" Yang shouted, reaching out with her remaining arm. Then, she tried to stand, only to collapse due to nearly a month without using her legs.

I ran in and helped her as Qrow ran after Rhea.

 ** _/\_**

 _Rhea stood outside, gazing at the moon as snow began to fall._

 _Then, she looked down at the Grimm-mask clutched in her hands._

 _Her hands shook, and she let some tears fall._

 _ **"Your only choice is to return to the shadows."**_

 _Rhea took a deep, shaky breath. The exhale came out in a small puff of steam, and slowly, Rhea raised the mask to her face._

 _The mask fit perfectly, molded to her features, and it stayed when Rhea moved her hand away._

 _Then, Rhea drew a deep-turquoise blade, raising it high so it silhouetted against the moon, then slashed it down and created a portal._

 _Rhea took one step toward the vortex, then another. Pausing, the girl looked back, her blue eyes peering through the face of a monster._

 _"I'm sorry."_

 _Then, Rhea Branwen vanished into the winter air._

 ** _/\_**

Qrow appeared in the doorway as I helped Yang to her feet. We both looked up at him hopefully, but he looked down and shook his head.

"She's gone." Qrow slowly pulled something out of his pocket. "Left this."

It was the missing half of Ember Celica.

My eyes widened as Qrow turned it over, revealing a blood-red symbol hastily-yet-expertly painted on the narrow side. A raven in flight.

"Raven." I realized. Yang stared at the symbol.

"Mom found it?" She asked. "And gave it to Rhea?" I nodded shakily, and Yang took the gauntlet in hand. She slowly activated the mechanism, and it expanded into full form. A slip of red paper fell out, and Yang picked it up.

"What does it say?" I asked. Yang's eyes widened.

" _Fight_." Yang replied. "That's all it says: _fight_." Yang turned the paper over, and her eyes widened. "Look."

The schematics for a replacement arm. It only took one look, and I knew that Raven designed it. Armed to the nail, nearly every inch a weapon and stronger then a raging Ursa-Major, yet it was designed to look like a real arm.

"Why?" Qrow frowned. "Why would she help?" I slowly smiled, remembering something...

 ** _"Yang's your daughter, too!"_**

"Rhea actually made her guilty." I smirked, looking at Yang. I saw something on her face that I hadn't seen in far too long: determination.

"How long would it take to build?" Yang asked. Qrow took a look at the schematics.

"Hmm... Two months to get all the parts, two to build it. Maybe one, if Ruby decides to wake up and make herself useful or your teammates get off their asses."

"Got it." Yang started walking out of the room. I reached out, concerned.

"Where are you going?"

"To train." Yang looked back, livid. "If I'm going to bring Rhea home, I need to be in top-shape."

"You're going after her?" Qrow asked, frowning. "That's not the best idea, _Firecracker_."

"What other choice do I have? I lost her once. I'm not losing her again."

 ** _Well... Hate me? I know, I know: I'm a terrible person who should be ashamed of herself. I'm a rotten bitch, yadda-yadda-yadda. But since Cinder's dead, something else will have to drive the plot for a little while._**

 ** _And I saw the RTX preview for Volume Four. I'm not letting my favorite RWBY girl (Yang, in case you didn't guess) go into Volume Four lying down. This is where the real shifts in canon start._**

 ** _By the way, if anyone has any ideas for a Volume Four outfit for Rhea or ideas for the story until Volume 4 comes out, let me know. If no one submits anything, I'll wing it._**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**

 _P.S: **To my viewers who play** Roblox **: try and see if you can find me. My screen-name is** IceWarriorWriter **, and I play Obbys.**_


	17. The Boy Who Lived (Unknown)

_**This is the start of a two-chapter mini-series. I asked for help extending this story until Volume 4, and someone stepped forward. The design and backstory of this OC goes to** ghost83 **. Enjoy!**_

I remember the day my life changed forever.

I was just a kid, and for many years, I was cast out and unwanted. An orphan, destined to remain alone forever because of something I couldn't control.

Because of two grey wolf-ears perched on top of my head.

But, as luck would have it, there was one family living in my Mistralian hometown that didn't care. A family by the name of _Vasilias_.

They had a child, a boy named _Neptune_ , a year older than me. I was seven when I was adopted, and he was eight.

Neptune immediately took me under his wing. We stayed together, played together, trained to be Huntsmen together. We became the best of friends, closest of allies. Brothers.

Loving parents, an older brother to look up to. For five amazing years, I had the perfect life.

Too bad that it all ended.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

A cloudy day, a large cruise ship, a child's hand points...

"Look!" My older brother pointed as the clouds started to swirl, the waves getting bigger and crashing into the side of the ship.

"Come away from the edge!" Mom warned, gesturing. "You might fall in if it starts to storm!"

Neptune ran back to her and my father, but I found the swirling waves fascinating and continued to watch.

That's when a huge wave crashed into the ship, and I lost my balance and tumbled over the railing.

As I fell, the grey goggles with yellow lenses that I often wore on my head got caught on a screw on the railing, and I was suspended for a second before they slipped from my head, and I plummeted.

"NO!" I heard a voice shout as I fell, and I looked up to see Neptune running to the edge. "BR-!"

That's when I hit the water, and everything went black.

 ** _/\_**

 _The twelve year-old wolf-Faunus known as Brice E. Null struck the water at 6:15 PM and was instantly knocked unconscious by the impact._

 _His form sunk below the waves, the icy water slowly inducing hypothermia. His body sunk to the bottom of the fortunately shallow area of ocean, his clothes snagging on a strange pointed-object, the ship slowly stopping as search-boats were sent out._

 _At 6:20, Brice's heart finally stopped beating._

 _At 7:00 PM, the search-boats had scanned the entire area. Finding no life or sign of the boy's body, they gave up. At 7:05, the ship started moving again._

 _As the ship passed over Brice's body, a peculiar thing occurred. It just so happens that that particular cruise-ship's engines ran on lightning Dust, and they had been malfunctioning._

 _At 7:07 PM, a bolt of lightning shot from the engines and electrified the water. The young boy's body was directly below the engines, his frozen body pumped full of power._

 _At 7:08, Brice's heart started beating again, and he fought his way to the surface, the point he'd been snagged on coming up with him, taking his first breath in fifty-three minutes._

 _The cruise ship's guests and crew failed to hear his cries, so the boy swam to the shore-line, collapsing at the water's edge, falling unconscious._

 _From that day forth, Brice E. Null would wander the surface of Remnant, one thought always on his mind._

 _He should have died._

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I should have died. Plain and simple. I don't know how I survived, seeing how I was knocked unconscious and woke up nearly an hour later, but it was unnatural in every way.

I couldn't return to the Vasilias'. They thought I was dead, and I should have been dead. They'd deny it was me, or get me tested, or something. I couldn't put them through any more suffering than I already had.

The shard of material that I found on my clothing was actually a blade. An ancient blade used by an ancient Huntsman, forged half from Fire-Dust, half from Ice-Dust. I called it FreezerBurn **_( AN: not a reference to the ship, just what the guy told me to name the weapon)_**.

Over the years, I became... I'm not entirely sure. A hired-gun? Bounty-hunter? Freelancer? Maybe a mercenary? Basically, I took jobs all around the four kingdoms, never resting or satisfied.

I should have died.

When I was fourteen, I heard tell of others like me. Raven and Rhea Branwen, a mother-daughter duo who travelled around the world, fighting to survive and never allowed to stop.

I wondered if I would ever run into them, then one day, when I was fifteen (almost sixteen), I saw something.

On a screen, during the Vytal Festival Tournament, I saw Rhea Branwen fight. I saw her fighting with honor, not prolonging fights any longer than she had to, quick and efficient.

This girl was a killer, but she was the same kind of killer that I was. She was no monster, just... Lost.

I was only able to see her team and doubles match, but others told me that she had been shot in the finals. She survived, but her injury may have been one of the factors leading to the Battle of Beacon.

A month or so after that, I picked up a broadcast from Patch. Rhea Branwen had gone missing, had vanished without the slightest trace.

Branwens don't go down easily. They don't go down quietly. The girl had run away once more, to protect those she loved, plain and simple.

Maybe I had finally found a way to end my suffering. The perfect person to put an end to my trek.

The perfect person to put an end to my life.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I started hunting Rhea Branwen.

I asked around, claiming to be a bounty-hunter when people questioned me, drawing my blade to scare them when I had to.

Finally, several months later, I caught up with the running girl, the raven in flight. I trailed her for a few days, waiting. Unfortunately, when she arrived someplace where I could confront her, someone else did.

"Rhea, stop!" A blonde-haired boy with a monkey-tail grabbed the girl's upper arm, eyes wide. The girl had been prowling in a forest in Mistral, accidentally venturing too close to Haven, and a team of four had found her.

A team that happened to include my long-lost older, adoptive brother: Neptune Vasilias. He wore my goggles.

The girl slowly looked back, wearing a Grimm-mask that hid her entire face, making the four boys step away from her in fear.

Bored, I started carving my emblem into a tree, wondering how long this conversation was going to go for.

"R-Rhea?" The boy with red hair dressed like a pirate asked. "Is that you?" The girl slowly reached up and removed her mask, keeping her face neutral as it was revealed.

"Yes."

"What happened to you?!" Neptune finally asked. "Where have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried we've all been?!"

"How did you know I was missing?"

"Yang sent us a letter." The huge, green-haired boy answered. "She's very worried about you."

"HA!" The laugh was bitter and sarcastic, born from pain. The voice of someone who had snapped, from both her loneliness and guilt. "Fancy that! Tell me, did she say why I left?!"

"N-no." Monkey-Boy responded. He obviously hadn't seen this side of the Branwen before, and it was honestly scaring him.

"She told me to _leave_ , since _it's the only thing I'm good at_." Rhea mocked. "And guess what?! She's **RIGHT**!" Rhea wrestled her hand away from the monkey-Faunus, glaring. "So, just leave me alone!" The girl started walking in my direction, so I hid again.

"Rhea, stop!" The monkey, followed by his teammates, followed her. Neptune paused by my tree as the blonde and the Branwen started arguing, then saw my emblem carved in.

Shit.

"No way." Neptune's eyes were wide as he ran his hand over the symbol. "Guys, we should leave."

"Huh?" Rhea and Sun looked over, the other two following. Neptune glared at the marking, eyes filled with the hurt and pain that I knew would be there if I ever went back.

"We aren't alone." Neptune elaborated, gesturing to the symbol. "This is freshly carved. And the person who it belongs to..." Neptune's voice trailed off, and the monkey-boy frowned.

"Neptune?" He asked, concerned. "Who's symbol is it?" Neptune placed his hand on the symbol again.

"A ghost." He replied. "From my past." The blue-haired boy turned to the other four, expression grim. "It belonged to a boy called Brice E. Null. He'd be around Ruby's age..."

"Neptune?" Even Rhea sounded worried, her façade momentarily breaking. My brother turned to her.

"It belonged to my adopted little brother, but he's dead." He finally admitted, then knelt and picked something off the ground. Hair from my head and my ears. Neptune's eyes widened, and I instinctually took a step back, holding my breath. "Rhea, have you seen anything like these before?"

"Yeah. I started seeing them a few days ago, when I entered the woods. I just assumed it was an animal."

"It's not." Neptune glared. I took another step back, and a twig cracked. "Rhea, go! Go, now!"

Rhea turned and changed into a raven, flying away as the boys whipped out their weapons.

I cursed, knowing I couldn't afford to lose the girl again, and I raised a hand. Icy platforms, conjured by the advanced hydrokinesis that formed my semblance, formed in the air, and I ran up and across, following the bird through the sky despite the boys' attempts to shoot me down. As we exited their range and went over deep forest, I drew FreezerBurn.

I swiped my blade, sending flames at the bird, and I managed to knock her out of the sky.

I leapt down and landed as she crashed, changing back into a human and rolling into the base of a tree.

I smirked, knowing she only fought evil and that I had to present myself as such, raising my blade as the girl shakily stood up.

"Rhea Branwen... We have much to discuss."

"Funny..." The girl wheezed, gripping her ribcage in pain before glaring, placing her hand on her blade. "Most people just say _we have a lot to talk about_."

 _ **Well... Poor Sun, poor Neptune, poor Rhea, and poor Brice! We'll get his description next chapter from Rhea's POV, along with a badass fight and some angst. I only own my OC, and** ghost83 **owns Brice! Please read, review, check out my other stories, submit ideas for the 104 days until Volume 4, etc. Thanks!**_

 _ **And thank you,** ghost83 **!**_

 _PS: **To my fans who play** Roblox **, here's a challenge! Find me! I'm** IceWarriorWriter **, and I play Obbys! Good luck!**_


	18. Author's Note: Brice E Null

Dear Readers,

I have a thousand apologies.

Brice wasn't the creation of _blizzard2798_. I was looking through my PMs, and I accidentally copied down the wrong screenname. I apologize to _blizzard2798_ , the real creator, and all of my readers.

I literally panicked when I realized my mistake.

Brice E. Null is the creation of **_ghost83_**. He is the one behind this character's personality, backstory, and overall design. I'm going back and editing the chapter to include his name.

Once again, I apologize, and I hope something like this doesn't happen again.

Thank you all for reading,

IceWarrior13.


	19. Broken Minds (Rhea)

I glared, adjusting the grip on my Ice-Dust blade as I examined my opponent, eyes narrowing.

The wolf-Faunus was around Ruby's age, fifteen. His hair was a darker shade of blonde, his eyes red with black around the edges. He wore a green jacket with a white shirt, showing his emblem in dark green, along with dark blue jeans and black sneakers. His emblem was some sort of detailed, retro triangle separated into four segments. Why did it remind me of a video-game?

"What do you want?" I finally asked. The boy smirked, spinning a blade forged from Fire and Ice-Dust.

"To see if you really are the best of the best, _Birdy_." He chuckled. I gritted my teeth.

Why did that nickname always get a rise out of me?!

"You're him, aren't you?" I asked, noticing the symbol on his shirt. "You're Brice E. Null."

"Da-da-da-da!" The boy mocked in a sing-song manner. "You do have some brains somewhere in that mop!"

"Excuse me?!" I asked, livid. This boy was suicidal.

"Well?!" The boy got into a fighting stance, that cocky little smirk REALLY starting to bug me. "Shall we dance?"

"Listen, kid. I don't want to hurt you." I glared. "Because you're not going to be hurting me... Neptune's a friend of mine. I don't think he'll like me beating up his little brother."

"Didn't you hear him?" The boy rolled his eyes. "I'm a ghost." With that, the boy charged.

I raised my blade and met his, only to be surprised by his strength and forced several feet back. Rectifying this mistake, I charged and stabbed the ground, creating an ice-sheet.

The boy slashed the ground with the Fire-Dust half of his blade and created a shroud of steam, vanishing into it. I wasn't used to my own trick being used against me, but I adjusted and exchanged my blade of Ice-Dust for Wind-Dust, blowing the steam away. The young boy was gone, vanished.

"Where are you?" I muttered quietly, my eyes narrowing. Then...

"DROWN IN MISERY!"

I suddenly spun around and met his blade again, barely saving myself from a decapitation. I triggered the Wind-Dust and sent the kid flying away, getting my Ice-Dust blade out once more and swiping, creating a barrier of icy spikes between us.

"What's the point of all of this?!" I asked, livid. "What could you have to gain from killing me, Brice?!" The boy glared, readying his blade again.

"Shouldn't you be used to this sort of thing by now, Branwen?" He asked. "Your mother definitely is." I felt rage building up, and he raised an eyebrow. "Did your eyes just turn purple?"

"If you know so much about me, you should have seen the tournament." I readied my blade. "Making me angry is a really, REALLY bad idea."

"Well, I am fond of bad ideas!" Brice charged, but I side-stepped at the last moment, holding my foot out and tripping him. I smirked.

"You're not really good at implementing them, are you?" I asked. Then, my eyes widened as the boy stood, raising his hands.

Water droplets were pulled out of the air and started swirling around Brice, the boy looking up and smirking.

"At least I'll always have a back-up." Then, the boy shot his hands forward, the water hardening into ice and flying at me in shards. I cried out in pain as they sank into my flesh or cut my skin, getting thrown back.

I forced myself onto my hands and knees, eyes widening as I looked up to see the boy forming a huge projectile out of ice, and it was my turn to smirk again. I got to my feet, removing my SilverWing sheath and getting into a more open stance, taunting him.

"Well?" I asked. "Hit me with your best shot." The boy gaped.

"You're crazy!" He exclaimed. I gave a small laugh.

"Probably!" I decided that the emblem had to be from a video-game, which meant that I could say... "Fight me, _nerd_!" The boy growled and sent the ice-ball at me, enraged.

The sphere hit my torso with the force of a moving truck. It was the perfect power-up for my semblance.

I activated FrostBite, my gauntlets, and slammed my fists together as my hair started glowing and radiating icy mist, my eyes glowing red.

"WHAT?!" Brice asked. I charged, firing my gauntlets at him. The boy barely dodged, only to get rapid punches to his gut and chest.

As he recovered, I somersaulted and grabbed my blades again, using one more punch to send him falling to the ground, barely conscious.

I deactivated my gauntlets and drew my Ice-Dust blade, anger fueling my actions, ready to finish it.

...

That's when several faces popped into my vision.

My first kill, the leader of the Faunus Slave Trade, launched by my fist into a burning warehouse.

All of the lives I had taken for bounty, revenge, or safety while traveling with my mother.

Cardin Winchester, sent flying into a wall hard enough to crack it, falling to the floor unconscious.

Sun on the receiving end of one of my semblance-fueled attacks, wincing in pain as I sent him slamming into the floor of the arena.

Even Adam, when I had launched a punch and Dust-round that very well could have killed him.

Cinder Fall, dead by my blade.

...

I closed my eyes, willing the red and the rage back, shakily lowering my blade as I opened my eyes again.

I was not a killer, anymore.

I was not a murderer, anymore.

I was Rhea Branwen.

I was a Huntress.

I was in control.

I was not insane.

The blade slid into my sheath, and I glared down at the boy who laid on the ground at my feet.

"Don't come after me again." I hissed, then turned and started walking away. I heard him get to his feet, then...

"Kill me."

"What?!" I turned around, my eyes widening as they once more fell on the boy. The blonde was glaring at me with an unimaginable rage, fists clenched, his whole body shaking.

"Kill me!"

"Why?" I asked cautiously. There was something really, really wrong. The boy gritted his teeth.

"Didn't you hear Neptune?" He asked. "I'm supposed to be dead!" I took a slow step forward.

This boy was volatile.

Maybe suicidal.

I had to calm him down.

"Look, why don't you tell me what happened?" I tried. "What do you mean, _supposed to be dead_?"

The boy was shaking, that insane amount of rage in his eyes, his sanity in question, but he finally stood down.

"I drowned." Brice confessed. "I fell into the ocean, and I drowned. I died, the water freezing my body... And fifty-three minutes later, I woke up." My eyes narrowed. "Don't you see?! I'm not supposed to be alive!"

"That's something we have in common." I gave a bitter smile, then glared. "But who says you have a say?"

"W-what?"

"Why do you think it's up to you whether you live or die?" I marched over, scowling down at the boy. "Have you never heard of _destiny_? _Fate_? Maybe a little bit of _divine intervention_?"

"I-!"

"Are you saying that the reason why, in three years, you haven't gone back to your family is because you think you're _supposed to be dead_?!"

"Yes!"

"God, you're thick!"

"What?!"

"Did you not see Neptune's face?! How much he misses you?! You might not have always been around, but you're still his brother! Why in Hell wouldn't you go back to your family?!"

"They think I'm dead! If I go back, it'll only cause more problems and pain for them! It would be better if-"

"Neptune knows you're alive, now! The truth's out! So, you better go back to your older brother, make up, and take this second chance at life, or I will knock you out and drag you there myself! You'll probably end up in an asylum until you deal with these suicidal tendencies, and THAT will cause your family more pain than anything else." I grabbed the boy by the collar, raising him into the air and glaring venomously. "So, what's it going to be?"

"I... I can't go back to the Vasilias'. They'll never accept that I'm alive, or what I've become."

"Yes, they will, Brice. That's what family does." I stated. Before my eyes, a hardened fighter and suicidal maniac melted into a scared fifteen year-old boy, one I could see getting along with Ruby. I gave a small smile, gently setting the boy down. "Why don't we go and call your brother?"

 ** _/\_**

I called Neptune, telling him where to find us, then waited.

Team SSSN came running, stopping as I held the still-stubborn boy out by the back of his collar.

"You lost this." I gave a small smirk, dropping the boy back onto his feet. He shot a glare at me over his shoulder, then yelped as he was suddenly crushed in a hug.

Neptune hugged his little brother tightly, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth in an attempt to not break down.

"Where the Hell have you been?!" The blue-haired boy pulled away, glaring at the brother as his eyes got watery. "Do you have any idea-?! I mean, do you-?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

I started walking away as Brice told his story, looking back over my shoulder with a small smile.

Scarlet, Sage, and Sun watched the reunion with astonishment, listening to Brice's tale and watching as Neptune finally broke down, Brice not to far behind him.

I pulled my mask from my belt, looking down at the monster's face and taking a deep breath to calm my nerves. I had to keep going. I had to-

"Rhea." A hand closed around my wrist, again. I turned back to see Sun, his expression sad, but lacking the fear he had when he saw what I'd become. "Why are you doing this? Why are you running away?"

"Sun... You've seen the lengths people will go to in order to kill me." I sighed. "You've seen that they don't care who they hurt, so long as _the Branwen_ dies... I'm running so no one else has to get hurt when I'm caught."

"Rhea, do you really think we care? We've got ex-White Fang, thieves, kids, narcissists, outcasts, flirts, robots, and all sorts of criminal-record holders in our group. We could use our level-headed, sarcastic, badass vigilante friend back in the fight."

"Who says I'm out of the fight? ... I didn't go back to Raven."

"What?!"

"I'm on my own, Sun. I'm not abandoning the world... Just keeping my distance." I held out a scroll flash-drive. "This is some of the info I've collected. Read it, copy it, get it to Team RWB(B)Y and Team JNPR, and end this madness."

"But you're the one who took out Cinder. I don't know if-"

"You don't need me, Sun." I pulled away from him, turning away. "If anything, you'd be better off without me."

I was too dangerous to be around, both because of those who hunted me and myself. What would Sun think if he knew about all the close-calls? What if I was going crazy?!

"But you need us." Sun argued. "You know you do, Rhea." I paused my trek, gritting my teeth as I looked down at my mask, then looking back.

"It's not about me." I stated. "It would be selfish, if I stayed with you and put everyone I cared about in danger for my own happiness."

"It's selfish to think it's your job to fix everything and keep everyone safe. You are only one person, a scared seventeen year-old girl."

"Sun, stop." I glared. "I'm not what you think I am. I'm everything people say. I'm a murderer, Sun. A gun for hire, a vigilante, a killer..." A psychopath. "Just leave me alone to die."

I turned and started running, ignoring the shouts and sounds of feet running after me. The branches were too thick to fly through, leaving me trapped on the ground, but I was still fast. Unfortunately, not Faunus-fast.

Sun and Brice caught up, each of them grabbing an arm and pinning me to a cliff-side.

"I'm not letting you run away, again!" Sun snapped, and I winched as his grip on my arm tightened. Brice frowned slightly, looking at Sun.

"I have an idea." Brice turned to me, scowling. "This Yang, she's your older sister?" I glared, silent. "But you grew up on the run with your mother?" I didn't respond to his questions. "She thought you were dead, or didn't know you existed?" I still didn't reply. "... You may not have always been around, but you're still her sister. Why in Hell would you not go back to your family?"

My eyes widened.

Brice's situation was not unlike my own.

My words could easily be thrown back in my face.

The two boys let me go as the rest of Team SSSN caught up, and I stood there for a moment, stunned.

My eyes drifted up to an open space in the tree-branches, and I looked back at the five.

I was a Branwen. Those who hunted me were dangerous. My sanity was in question... I cared too much about my friends to harm them.

"I'm too dangerous to be around." I whispered. "I'm sorry." Their eyes widened, and the monkey-Faunus reached out.

"Rhea, no!" Sun shouted. I changed into a bird and flew through the gap, soaring into open air.

 ** _Uh-oh. What could this be? Is the isolation and stress of Rhea's existence slowly driving her to insanity? When her friends and family finally catch her, will there be anything left of the Dark Swordswoman to bring home? Will this hero live long enough to see herself become a villain?_**

 _ **I only own my OC,** ghost83 **owns Brice. Please read,** review **, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!**_


	20. Little Bird, Come Home

**(Ruby)**

How could Rhea leave us?

Leave me?

 ** _/\_**

 _"Um... I'm Ruby Rose." I introduced myself. The girl blinked a few times, like my name surprised her._

 _"Weiss Schnee." Weiss nodded, still stunned. The girl shook out of her thoughts and smiled._

 _"Rhea Branwen." She greeted. Branwen, like Uncle Qrow? "I'm bound and determined to be the solo, so I guess this is where I leave you." The mysterious girl turned and started walking._

 _"W-wait!" I held a hand out. The girl looked back. "Why not stay with us? It's safer in groups." The girl sighed, before walking back over._

 _"Just this once."_

 ** _/\_**

 ** _I never felt_**

 ** _That it was wise_**

 ** _To wish too much..._**

 ** _To dream too big_**

 ** _Would only lead_**

 ** _To being crushed..._**

 ** _/\_**

 _I stood on the cliff, having just decapitated the Nevermore, and a small black bird landed next to me, turning into a smiling Rhea._

 _"Nice going, **Fearless Leader**." The girl smirked. "You did good." I beamed at the praise._

 _"Thanks, Rhea!"_

 ** _/\_**

When I woke up from my coma, my dad hugged me, Uncle Qrow was smiling in the doorway, and Yang...

Yang smiled through a pained expression and sorrow-filled eyes.

I was told about Beacon and Vale by Dad, my Silver-Eyed Warrior power by Qrow, and Yang...

"Rhea's gone."

"What?!"

 ** _/\_**

 _I laughed and hugged both of my sisters, smiling brightly._

 _"I have two big sisters! This is the best day ever!"_

 _"Heh..." Rhea looked like she didn't know what to think. "Yeah... Okay, you can let me go now."_

 ** _/\_**

 ** _Then, I met you._**

 ** _You weren't afraid_**

 ** _Of anything..._**

 ** _You taught me how_**

 ** _To leave the ground,_**

 ** _To use my wings..._**

 ** _/\_**

 _"Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, Rhea Branwen, Ruby Rose, and Yang Xiao-Long." Ozpin began. "You five retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forth, you shall work together as Team RWBBY,_ led by Ruby Rose _." My jaw dropped, and Yang crushed me in a hug._

 _"I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!" Yang exclaimed, then pulled away. Rhea placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling._

 _"Good job."_

 ** _/\_**

"She left, Ruby... It's all my fault." Yang bowed her head. "I lost my arm, and that was all I cared about. Rhea came to see me, to ask how I was and apologize for not being fast enough... And I snapped, and she ran." Yang looked up, tears in her eyes. "She ran to Raven."

Instead of getting angry, I pulled my oldest sister into a hug, both of us letting tears fall.

"We'll get her back, Yang." I whispered. "I promise."

 ** _/\_**

 _"What did Dad want?" Yang asked. Rhea looked over._

 _"He invited me to visit Patch over Winter Break."_

 _"And?!" I asked excitedly. Rhea sighed, shaking her head and giving us a small smile._

 _"I agreed." She admitted. Yang smiled brightly._

 _"YAY!" I cheered, bouncing up and down on my bed with excitement. Weiss sat up and glared._

 _"Be quiet, you **dunces**!"_

 ** _/\_**

 ** _I never thought a hero_**

 ** _Would ever come my way,_**

 ** _But more than that_**

 ** _I never thought_**

 ** _You'd be taken away..._**

 ** _/\_**

 _Yang, Blake, and I watched as Weiss walked into a hallway, and Rhea was waiting there, leaning her back against the wall with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face._

 _"Well, well, well..." Rhea frowned. "The **Ice Queen** has her ponytail in a twist." Weiss glared._

 _"Quiet, you **brute**! You may be Ruby's sister, but you know as well as I do that she's not what's best for this team! Not yet..."_

 _"Weiss, listen." Rhea walked up to her, livid. "Before I knew who Ruby was to me, I knew she would be our leader. I would follow her anywhere... But that's beside the point." Rhea poked Weiss on the shoulder. "Place yourself in Ruby's shoes, see this from her point of view." Weiss frowned._

 _"What do you mean?" She asked. Rhea stooped to look Weiss in the eyes, looking more sympathetic._

 _"Picture this... You're the youngest person in this school. You have so much to prove, so many people to impress if you want to have any hope of fitting in. You do your best, but no matter how hard you try, someone who is everything you've ever wanted to be looks down on you and doesn't even give you a chance." Weiss began, and Weiss' eyes widened. "You keep on trying. You try to make friends, to fit in, but you don't know how. You're scared, scared of loss and being alone, scared that you'll always be seen as small and helpless. As just a child... Then, you are given a huge responsibility. You think you're making friends, but still that person who's the image of everything you want to be looks down upon you. They don't trust you, they don't give you a chance. You don't know what to do... Then, they come right out and voice everything you've feared to hear. They take all of that doubt you thought you'd work through and cram it back in... You're lost, you're confused, and you're alone. You try to hide it, but you're only a kid. And right now, all you want to do is curl up and cry because someone you just want to be friends with and look up to is treating you like dirt." Weiss looked like she wanted to cry right about then. "So, tell me... What if your roles were reversed? Would you want Ruby treating you like you've treated her?"_

 _"I-"_

 _"Wait, wrong question... I haven't known Ruby for too long, but I know this: she would have supported you if you were the leader, instead."_

 _Rhea walked away, leaving everyone who had witnessed the encountered astonished._

 _"She..." I leaned against the wall and slid down. "She's right." Yang slid down and placed an arm around my shoulders, smiling._

 _"See that? That's an overprotective older sister at work."_

 ** _/\/\/\_**

It was a month or two after I woke up when Team JNPR showed up. They had no word of Rhea.

The rest of Team RWB(B)Y was... Lost, without Rhea around. We were missing a part of our team that we never thought we'd have to go without.

Until the Vytal Festival Tournament.

Until the Battle of Beacon.

Until...

Pyrrha finally told us what happened.

 ** _/\_**

 _Penny and I came across a battle between Torchwick and Rhea, and..._

 _"Hey!" I shouted from a roof, whipping out my scythe. Torchwick looked up and smirked, while Rhea looked up with wide eyes._

 _"Hello, **Red**!" The thief greeted. "Isn't it past your bedtime?" I was distracted Penny, allowing Torchwick to fire and send me flying back._

 _Rhea let out a cry of rage and continued her attack._

 _Wow. Yang was right. She really was overprotective._

 ** _/\_**

 _ **Now it's cold without you here...**_

 _ **It's like winter lasts all year...**_

 _ **But your star's still in the sky,**_

 _ **So I won't say** goodbye **...**_

 _ **I don't have to say** goodbye **.**_

 ** _/\_**

 _"Ruby!" Rhea ran up to me after the fight, grabbing my face and worriedly examining me for injuries. "Are you okay?! What were you thinking?! Of all the suicidal, irresponsible, moronic-!"_

 _"Rhea, I'm fine!" I complained. "Stop babying me!"_

 _"Never! You may be the **Fearless Leader of Team RWBY** , but you're still my fifteen year-old little sister who really needs to stop getting herself into dangerous situations!"_

 _"Is she always like this?" A blonde monkey-Faunus asked Blake in the background. The cat-Faunus shook her head, eyes wide._

 _"This is a first..."_

 ** _/\_**

"It was like she was threatening Rhea." The Amazon looked down. "She said that if Rhea didn't run, all of us would die. Rhea's friends, her family, her sisters... To what, I'm not sure. She mentioned that the Roses and Branwens were powerful, but Roses were discrete, and Branwens were feared... She made Rhea take the mask and said that Rhea would know where to find her when she made her choice, then left."

"Raven." Yang glared. "How could she do that to Rhea?! She knows how important we are to her!"

"But what if there's really danger?" Jaune asked. "What if someone really would kill us to take Rhea down?"

"Does it matter?!" I asked. "She's my sister, our teammate, our friend! She shouldn't be alone, again! Especially with Raven!"

 ** _/\_**

 _"Rhea!" I attached myself to Rhea's arm, smiling. "That was SO cool! How did you do that with the ice-fists?! Did you see what I did?!" Rhea sighed, rolling her eyes and smiling as she set Sun down and turned to me._

 _"Of course I did. That was pretty badass, **Fearless Leader**." She beamed. I blushed, not used to the praise._

 _The praise Rhea always found time to give me, with her simple **good job** s and her **Fearless Leader** nickname. I loved having two big sisters like Yang and Rhea._

 ** _/\_**

 ** _My days of doubt_**

 ** _Were in the past_**

 ** _With you around..._**

 ** _You helped me feel_**

 ** _I had a place,_**

 ** _Direction found..._**

 ** _/\_**

 _"No, no, no, no, NO!" Rhea shouted as Yang and Weiss dragged her and I to a dress-shop. "I swear to God, I will kill you if you make me try on a dress!"_

 _"Come on!" Yang smiled. "You'll look so pretty!" Rhea's eyes flashed red. "Don't be like that!" Weiss pulled me and Yang pulled me into the dress-store, both beaming. "You're going to look **FABULOUS**!"_

 _"Ruby, shoot me." Rhea pleaded. I looked over._

 _"Only if you shoot me, sis... **Double-suicide**?"_

 _"I think it'll be a **simultaneous dual mercy-killing**."_

 ** _/\/\/\_**

A few weeks later, we got a letter from Team SSSN.

' _Hey guys,_

 _It's me, Sun, and I've got some good news and some bad news for you. I'll start off with the good news:_

 _Rhea's alive, and she didn't go back to Raven. She's on her own gathering intel, and guess what?! She's giving it to all of us! I included a flash-drive of all the information she gave Team SSSN, so I hope this goes right to you guys. It would be pretty awkward if it didn't, right? Rhea's still on our side!_

 _Bad news... We caught Rhea, but she got away. She kept saying that she was **too dangerous to be around** and we'd be better off without her. And worst of all: I think she's  snapping._

 _Rhea wasn't acting right. It's like she's going crazy or something! We can't catch her, so we really hope that you guys have a plan._

 _ **I** hope that you guys have a plan. Rhea's my friend, too, and seeing her like that was terrifying. Please find her and get her back._

 _Good luck,_

 _Sun._ '

"Wow." I gave a slight smirk. "He sounds pretty worried about Rhea." Yang shook her head, frowning.

"Not now, Ruby... What did he mean, _going crazy_?"

"Rhea would never lose it." Jaune crossed his arms, looking down. "She's probably the most collected person we know, next to Ren."

"Rhea's never been exactly stable." Ren countered. "I think we all remember the _**Remnant: the Game** Incident_. And her bursts of anger are far less stable than Yang's."

"And she's a killer." Pyrrha added. "Raven mentioned some things, that night. Things Rhea had done, what she had been trained to be... It was like Raven was setting her up to be unstable."

"But why?" I asked. "What's the point?" No one could answer that.

 ** _/\_**

 _As the sun went down after a long day, Team RWBBY sat on the airship docks at Beacon, looking out over the bay and the city of Vale._

 _We rested in a peaceful, if tense, silence. Then, Rhea started humming quietly. Yang recognized the tune..._

 _" **I'm coming home,**_

 _ **I'm coming home...** " She sang. I smiled and joined in._

 _" **Tell the world I'm coming home.** " We sang together. Weiss and Blake were the next to join in._

 _" **Let the rain wash away all the pain of my yesterday.** " The four of us sang. Yang wrapped an arm around her twin's shoulders, and Rhea gave a small laugh and joined us._

 _" **I know my kingdom awaits, and they've forgiven my mistakes.** " All five of us were singing, now._

 _" **I'm coming home,**_

 _ **I'm coming home.**_

 _ **Tell the world that I'm coming... Home.** "_

 _We all stood and hugged, laughing at our own antics._

 _"You know..." Blake smiled. "Meeting you four makes everything I've gone through worth it."_

 _"I... Agree." Weiss admitted. Yang laughed and wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders._

 _"Love you guys, too!" She beamed, and they rolled their eyes. I bowed my head, smiling timidly._

 _"All my life, people have said that I'm too **young** , **small** , or **fragile**..." I looked up, confident. "With you guys, I don't feel like I'm just a child." Rhea placed a hand on my shoulder._

 _"I know I can be a bit difficult at times, but trust me... I will never regret meeting my sisters, and my friends."_

 _"Aw!" Yang and I crushed Rhea in a hug, and for once..._

 _She didn't push us away._

 ** _/\_**

 ** _You showed me that_**

 ** _A greater dream_**

 ** _Can be achieved..._**

 ** _Enough resolve_**

 ** _Will conquer all_**

 ** _If we believe..._**

 ** _/\_**

 _Suddenly, Rhea's eyes narrowed dangerously, and her hand closed around a wrist._

 _"Excuse me." Rhea glared as we turned to see a stunned Emerald. "Were you trying to steal my sister's wallet?"_

 _"No, I-"_

 _"Rhea, that's Emerald! Remember?!" I tried. "She's our friend! She wouldn't steal from me!" Rhea continued glaring at Emerald, but she grudgingly released her wrist._

 _"My mistake."_

 ** _/\/\/\_**

We began planning our departure, spending Christmastime together as friends and family.

Ren and Nora really seemed to enjoy spending Christmas with people they knew well, reminding us all that they had no home or parents.

Yang made sure that both of them ended up under mistletoe, along with Jaune and Pyrrha.

Her spirit may have been cracked, but it was far from broken.

 ** _/\_**

 _"Where is she?" Qrow asked. Yang and I tensed up._

 _"Who do you mean?" I asked. Qrow glared at us._

 _"You know who." He stated. "Where is **Rhea**?"_

 _"She went to catch some more of the doubles fights." I admitted. "Pyrrha and Nora, and Sun and Neptune, are fighting today."_

 _"Hmph." Qrow sighed. "So... I guess you know the truth."_

 _"Why didn't anyone tell us?" Yang finally asked. Qrow looked down._

 _"We didn't know how to... Branwens are dangerous, Yang. The females have been especially known for their... **Volatility**." He explained. "You've already seen how dangerous your twin-sister is. But let me ask you this... What do you think Raven was training her into for the last sixteen years?"_

 _"A Huntress." I replied. "Rhea's one of the best we've ever seen! You should see her, Uncle Qrow!"_

 _"I have... I was there, at the Entrance Exam. I saw that she was alive, but she is FAR from safe."_

 ** _/\_**

 ** _The light you gave to guide me_**

 ** _Will never fade away,_**

 ** _But moving forward never felt_**

 ** _As hard as today..._**

 ** _/\_**

 _Two silver/blue gauntlets deactivated, turning back into bulky bracelets as a beaten Rhea fell to her knees, her blue eyes wide and unblinking as she held her stomach, blood slowly pooling across her clothing._

 _Slowly, those blue eyes traveled up and met Sun's, filling with tears of pain. Her expression was shocked, pained, and scared._

 _Then, her facial muscles slackened, her eyes closing. Sun's gun-chucks fell to the ground as she did._

 _My whole body went numb, then I stood up, unable to think straight._

 _"RHEA!"_

 ** _/\_**

For Christmas, I only wished for one thing: I wished for Rhea to come back, safe and in her right mind, and help us finish this once and for all.

But wishes and dreams can only carry us so far. It is up to each and every one of us to take the first step.

...

So, to those who have hunted my sister for her entire life, be warned. I will not rest until you are gone.

To those who started the Battle of Beacon, be warned. We are strong again, and we are coming for you.

To Raven Branwen, be warned. You will pay for dividing my family time and time again.

To Rhea, wherever you are, hang on with all you have. We will find you, we will fix you, and we will bring you home.

 ** _/\_**

 _I gently leaned over and hugged Rhea, closing my eyes and letting a tear fall, relieved._

 _"I'm so happy you're okay." I whispered. Yang joined in, and I could almost feel Rhea smile._

 _"Like anything could bring me down."_

 ** _/\_**

 ** _Now it's cold without you here..._**

 ** _It's like winter lasts all year..._**

 ** _But your star's still in the sky,_**

 _ **So I won't say** goodbye **...**_

 _ **I don't have to say** goodbye **.**_

 ** _/\_**

 _A portal opened in a bedroom, a figure in black and blue removing her mask and looking down at a comatose girl in red, eyes soft and sad._

 _"Goodbye, little sister." The figure leaned over and gently kissed the girl's forehead, looking like she wanted to cry but remaining strong. "Be strong, **Fearless Leader**... Be safe."_

 _Then, the figure turned, slashed a new portal, and vanished._

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Weiss)**

I never thought that I would miss that arrogant, sarcastic, violent little bird-girl who always back-sassed and insulted me or made jokes at my expense.

It turns out... I did. At one time, I thought I would never grow accustomed to or like Rhea's comments. Now, there was nothing louder to me than the silence.

Rhea had grown on me, I admit it. I was especially touched when she defended me from Flynt Coal.

But leaving without even saying _goodbye_ to Blake and I? Running away into the night with barely a second thought? How could she?

Pyrrha's revelation proved that Rhea thought she was protecting us, but Sun's letter only brought more concern. Was Rhea really losing her sanity?

Would there be anything left of her by the time we found her?

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Blake)**

Rhea ran.

All that talk about not running because the team needs me, that she would hunt me down and drag me back if I tried to leave, and Rhea Branwen ran.

And back to Raven, her mother and the source of all of her hardships. No one, save Cinder's faction, had tried to kill Rhea over our months at Beacon, and Rhea didn't know who they were (at least, she didn't let on that she did). So tell me, who is it that she ran from for seventeen years?

But I wasn't just angry. I was scared for Rhea. I knew what running felt like, and it wasn't easy even if you thought you were doing what was right.

Rhea was the first of my teammates to accept me for who and what I was. She never judged or stereotyped me, and she understood my liking of solitude. She understood about Adam.

Who Rhea was to Adam or what Adam was to Rhea, I wasn't sure. I just knew that Rhea now had a burning hatred for the bull-Faunus since he stabbed me and took Yang's arm.

My greatest fear was that Rhea, with her fragile mental-state, would go after Adam. I wasn't sure who, if anyone, would walk away.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Yang)**

Before, after, and during Christmas, I was back on the training regime. I trained longer, faster, and harder than I ever had, even with two arms.

I took deep, ragged breaths as I did pull-ups in the backyard training-field, becoming more and more determined as I envisioned my goal.

 ** _/\_**

 _My younger twin-sister smiled mysteriously as she approached me, my eyes widening._

 _"Yang... We have a lot to talk about." She extended a hand. "Rhea Branwen."_

 ** _/\_**

I worked harder, a sweat starting to form, both my flesh hand and my metal hand gripping the bar hard enough to dent it, my eyes narrowing.

 ** _/\_**

 _I saw Rhea's school uniform, and I wasn't impressed with what I saw._

 _"Why do you always dress so un-revealingly?" I asked, rolling my eyes. My sister poked the spot over my heart with an index-finger, her other hand on my hip in a jokingly-scolding manner._

 _"Our concerned mother brought me up properly, my dear sister." Rhea fake-glared at me. "It's a wonder that our doting father didn't bring up his precious little **Yang-y** to not be a  walking, talking perv-magnet." All eyes in the room (save her own) widened as Rhea said this. I gaped, then laughed and hugged her._

 _"You are the best!"_

 _"Too tight!"_

 ** _/\_**

My heart started to roar in my ears.

 ** _/\_**

 _Professor Port winked at me during his first lecture._

 _"OI!" Rhea stood, slamming her hands on her desk and glaring. "She's seventeen!" I pulled her down._

 _"Sorry, Professor!" I apologized, smiling nervously. When Port had paced a few feet away, I sighed, shaking my head before looking at Rhea. "It's fine, sis. I'm used to it."_

 _"That guy's a total **perv**!" Rhea hissed, livid. "We should report him!"_

 _"Just let it go."_

 _"Grr... Fine."_

 _"Thank you."_

 _Well... Who ever heard of an **overprotective little sister**? Would I have to worry about this from Ruby?_

 ** _/\_**

Why did my mother leave me?!

Why did she take Rhea?!

Why did Summer Rose die?!

Why did I lose everyone?!

 ** _/\_**

 _Cardin's hand pulled away during the fight, taking a few black locks of wavy hair with it._

 _All was silent as Rhea closed her eyes, face contorted with rage._

 _Rhea reached up and unfastened the strap that held her blade on her waist, turning to Cardin and cracking her knuckles._

 _My sister opened her eyes, and they seemed to be turning purple._

 _An icy mist curled off her hair, and Rhea grabbed Cardin by the collar, lifting him into the air despite his height and weight in comparison to hers._

 _"She really is like you, Yang." Ruby whispered, eyes wide. I nodded, staring at my twin._

 _Rhea reared a fist back, then let out a yell of rage as she punched Cardin in the face, letting him go and watching him fly off the stage and into a wall._

 _The concrete cracked, and Cardin slid down, unconscious._

 ** _/\_**

I was slowly gaining perfect control over my cyborg-arm...

Had Raven thought of it as a fair trade for my sister?

 ** _/\_**

 _I walked over and punched Rhea's shoulder, grinning._

 _"Thanks for avenging me!"_

 _"You know what they say..." Rhea smirked, raising a hand. I grabbed it, and we laughed._

 _"DON'T MESS WITH BRANWENS!"_

 _It was strange, calling myself a **Branwen**. But the Branwen blood in my veins was as real and as much a part of me as the Xiao-Long blood was to Rhea._

 ** _/\_**

Why did the White Fang obey Cinder Fall?!

What did Torchwick and Neo have to do with anything?!

What did Emerald and Mercury have to do with this?!

Why were Beacon and Vale attacked?!

 ** _/\_**

 _I shook my younger twin sister awake with a wicked grin._

 _"I've got an idea." I announced, whispering. "Come on!" I dragged Rhea into the bathroom._

 _On the counter was bleach, blonde hair-dye, and lilac contact lenses._

 _"No." Rhwa crossed her arms, glaring. "No, no, no, no, no."_

 _"Come on, **Rae**! It'll be fun!" I whined, then tried puppy-dog eyes. Rhea rolled her eyes._

 _"Please. I've survived four months with Ruby."_

 _"I'm your big sister! You have to listen to me."_

 _"No."_

 _"... Think of all of the people we'll mess with!" I tried. "You know you love messing with people's heads!" I saw Rhea's resolve crack. "It's just one day. One day with blonde hair and purple eyes... It'll be fun!"_

 _"... Fine."_

 ** _/\_**

I leapt down from the bar and went over to my punching back, needing a better way to vent my emotions.

I started punching, determined to get my strength back.

Determined to find Rhea.

Determined to win this war.

Determined to make this right.

 ** _/\_**

 _"I deploy the Mistralian Navy!" I slammed the card down. "The ships sail for the coasts of Atlas-"_

 _"Only to be anhiallated..." Rhea held up a card depicting several bombs encased in ice floating in the ocean. "By submersed ice-mines."_

 _"D-did she just out-trap the **Trap Queen**?" Ruby asked, stunned. I couldn't believe it..._

 _"Grr... NEVERMORE FLOCK!" I slammed the card down. "Your kingdom's forces are decreased by-!" Rhea smirked and held a card up._

 _"Fire-Dust turrets on the border." She stated. "Your Grimm have been slaughtered, your armies decimated, and your kingdom shamed beyond the point of recovery." Rhea gave a dark chuckle, standing and leaning over the table to look me in the eyes. "You thought you had accomplished something, that you had a chance, that you were even winning... The smallest spark of hope can ignite change, which is why I have focused all of my power to snuff it out. How does it feel, knowing that all you've done has been for naught? That everything you've built will be torn down? You may send your armies, but you shall watch them fall, and when you come for me yourself, know that you come to the same, pitiful demise... This is the beginning of the end, dear sister. And I can't wait to watch you b-"_

 _A small whimper shook Rhea out of her dark, crazed speech._

 _Ruby, Sun, Neptune, and Jaune had recoiled into a corner. Pyrrha, Blake, Ren, and Weiss had drawn their weapons. Nora stood behind Rhea._

 _"I will follow you anywhere! Let's break some legs!"_

 _I just stared at my twin. Then..._

 _"Who taught you to play **Remnant: the Game** , again?"_

 _"Mom."_

 _"Ah."_

 ** _/\_**

Why did Rhea get shot?!

Why was Penny shot?! Why was she a robot?!

Why did Blake get stabbed?!

Why did I lose my arm?!

Why did Pyrrha almost die?!

Why was Ruby sent into a coma?!

 ** _/\_**

 _"What about you?" Weiss looked over at Rhea. "What's your real reason for wanting to become a Huntress?"_

 _"What makes you think I lied?" Rhea asked calmly. We all gazed at her. "I told the truth... Mostly. I do want to help my family's reputation and make sure that people aren't afraid of us, but I also want my own life."_

 _"What do you mean?" I sat up. "You and Mom have been living the dream. You've seen all of Remnant, you've saved lives, you've-"_

 _"Been completely **miserable**." Rhea admitted. "Yang, I never got to be a normal kid. I never went to school, stayed anywhere longer than three days, made any real friends, or knew any non-enemy besides Mom." Rhea gazed up at the ceiling. "I want to become a Huntress because I want to make my own choices. I don't want to have to rely on anyone to decide for me... I want to be my own person."_

 _"Maybe you can come with me." I grinned deviously. "We can go around, no ties, no worries. Just fighting and having a good time."_

 _Rhea was silent. Then..._

 _"No offense, but that sounds exactly like what I'm running from." Rhea closed her eyes. "I might take you up on that offer, someday. But... There's some things I just have to figure out on my own. I want a chance to figure out who I really am, without anyone else to influence my decisions."_

 ** _/\_**

Why did Raven save my life?!

What did she mean, we have a lot to talk about?!

Why did she take Rhea away?!

 ** _/\_**

 _We rested in a peaceful, if tense, silence. Then, Rhea started humming quietly. I recognized the tune..._

 _" **I'm coming home,**_

 _ **I'm coming home...** " I sang. Ruby smiled and joined in._

 _" **Tell the world I'm coming home.** " We sang together. Weiss and Blake were the next to join in._

 _" **Let the rain wash away all the pain of my yesterday.** " The four of us sang. I wrapped an arm around my twin's shoulders, and Rhea gave a small laugh and joined us._

 _" **I know my kingdom awaits, and they've forgiven my mistakes.** " All five of us were singing, now._

 _" **I'm coming home,**_

 _ **I'm coming home.**_

 _ **Tell the world that I'm coming... Home.** "_

 _We all stood and hugged, laughing at our own antics._

 _"You know..." Blake smiled. "Meeting you four makes everything I've gone through worth it."_

 _"I... Agree." Weiss admitted. I laughed and wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders._

 _"Love you guys, too!" I beamed, and they rolled their eyes. Ruby bowed her head, smiling timidly._

 _"All my life, people have said that I'm too **young** , **small** , or **fragile**..." Ruby looked up, confident. "With you guys, I don't feel like I'm just a child." Rhea placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder._

 _"I know I can be a bit difficult at times, but trust me... I will never regret meeting my sisters, and my friends."_

 _"Aw!" Ruby and I crushed Rhea in a hug, and for once..._

 _She didn't push us away._

 ** _/\_**

I kept punching, faster and harder, getting angrier and angrier as I continued to pound on the fabric, stuffing, and sand.

 ** _/\_**

 _"Yang." Raven smiled. "We have a lot to talk about."_

 _"Really?" I asked. "Just... Really?"_

 _"What?" Raven asked, smirking. Then, her eyes narrowed, she frowned, and she put her mask back on. "All will be explained in time."_

 _"Wait!"_

 _I reached out, but she vanished into a swirling red portal._

 ** _/\_**

I failed to notice the smoke rising off the fabric and the creaking of the chain that held the bag in the air.

 ** _/\_**

 _"I'm not saying you should go on a diet! I'm saying that you really, REALLY need to go on a diet!"_

 _"That's it!"_

 _"You're fat!"_

 _"HEY!" Rhea snarled, eyes flaring red as Neon and I noticed her. "Nobody talks like that about my sister!"_

 _ **:It looks like the RWBBY Twins are angry!: **Port laughed. **:You wouldn't like them when they're... Upset.:**_

 _Rhea and I both charged at the annoying cat-Faunus both of them with burning red eyes._

 _I used Ember Celica to tear up the field, and Rhea used her Ice-Dust blade (she called her swords **SilverWing** , right?) to make the place even worse for the skating Huntress._

 _Finally, Neon tripped up and was sent rolling into a geyser. I fired the final blast and took her out._

 _"YES!" We high-fived, our red eyes returning to normal. Then, I hugged Rhea tightly._

 _"Thanks for the defense, little sister! You are the best!"_

 _"Too... Tight..."_

 ** _/\_**

I remembered Beacon.

Vale.

Team RWBBY.

Team JNPR.

Team SSSN.

Team CFVY.

Penny.

All those whacky professors.

All the good times.

 ** _/\_**

 _Two silver/blue gauntlets deactivated, turning back into bulky bracelets as a beaten Rhea fell to her knees, her blue eyes wide and unblinking as she held her stomach, blood slowly pooling across her clothing._

 _Slowly, those blue eyes traveled up and met her attacker's, filling with tears of pain. Her expression was shocked, pained, and scared._

 _Then, her facial muscles slackened, her eyes closing. Sun's gun-chucks fell to the ground as she did._

 _My heart roared in my ears, and I stood up, panicking._

 _"RHEA!"_

 ** _/\_**

I remembered what had happened before and during the Battle of Beacon. I remembered the bad.

What we lost.

What I lost.

What we could never get back.

What I could only get back if I fought.

 ** _/\_**

 _"I'm so happy you're okay." Ruby whispered, hugging Rhea and letting a tear fall. I joined in, and Rhea smiled weakly._

 _"Like anything could bring me down."_

 ** _/\_**

I gritted my teeth and kept hitting.

I had to be stronger than before.

I had to be faster than before.

I had to be better than ever.

 ** _/\_**

 _I looked up, barely conscious, to see Rhea attack Adam Taurus, enraged._

 _My strength left me, and I passed out._

 ** _/\_**

The chain snapped, the punching bag flying from the tree and across the yard in a smoking heap.

I growled, then someone placed a hand on my shoulder.

 ** _/\_**

 _"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" I snarled, Rhea backing away. "Go! Leave! That's all you're good at!"_

 _"What do you-?"_

 _"Uncle Qrow explained it pretty clearly, dear sister! Branwen women always run away when they're needed most! So go, run away! No one's stopping you!"_

 _"You want me to run?!" Rhea asked, finally snapping. "Fine!" Rhea revealed a Grimm-mask like Raven's, and my eyes widened in shock. What?! "W-who needs a sister like you, anyway?! You've given up!" Rhea turned and readied to storm out the door, leaving me numb._

 _"Rhea, I..." I didn't know what to say. My anger had gotten control of me, again, and now my sister was... Leaving? Rhea paused, gripping the doorframe, looking down._

 _"When I was little, I used to have dreams about a little girl who looked like me. A girl with blonde hair and lilac eyes. I always thought that if I ever met her for real..." Rhea stopped herself. "I always wanted a big family. Older and younger siblings, a dad, maybe some crazy cousins and aunts and uncles. But when I was a little girl, all alone with only my mother and surrounded by enemies... I always wished the most that I had an older sister. Now, it turns out that I have one. And she was brave, strong, kind, and she never gave up..." Rhea looked back, a tear racing down her face. "But Mom was right. She was right all along. I put you in danger... I let you down."_

 _With that, Rhea turned and ran down the hallway._

 _"Rhea!" I shouted, reaching out with my remaining hand. Then, I tried to stand, only to collapse due to nearly a month without using my legs._

 ** _/\_**

I looked back to see Ruby, Dad, Uncle Qrow, and Team JNPR.

"Yang?" Ruby asked. I glared. "You're hurting yourself."

My eyes widened as I looked down at my hand. The skin on my knuckles had split, blood dripping from my remaining had.

I was so angry, I hadn't noticed the wrap being burned through, the roaring flames encasing my fists.

 ** _/\_**

 _"Where are you going?" Dad asked. I looked back, growing angrier and angrier by the second._

 _Angry at Adam Taurus._

 _Angry at Raven._

 _Angry at the world._

 _Angry at myself. My time on the bench was over._

 _"To train. If I'm going to bring Rhea home, I need to be in top-shape."_

 _"You're going after her?" Qrow asked, frowning. "That's not the best idea, **Firecracker**."_

 _"What other choice do I have? I lost her once. I'm not losing her again."_

 ** _/\_**

I looked over at my friends and family.

"Maybe you should rest." Ren suggested. "You'll only wear yourself out." I shook my head.

"I have to keep training."

"Yang." Dad tried. "I know you care about Rhea, but you need to calm down. She can take care of herself."

"No, she can't!" I glared. "She's spent her whole life controlled by Raven! I'm not letting her stay like that! I'm not letting her stay alone! I'm not letting her go completely crazy! It's my fault! I have to fix this! I have to find Rhea!" Blake reached out.

"Yang-"

"Just leave me al-!" I stopped myself, eyes widening. Then, I felt tears come to my eyes.

Don't break down.

Don't break down.

Don't break...

 ** _/\_**

 _I sat down at my desk, looking down as I pulled out several pieces of paper. I needed help..._

 _Two letters._

 _Both saying the same thing._

 _JNPR._

 _SSSN._

 _' **Hey guys,**_

 _ **It's Yang... Look, I need help. Ever since I lost my arm, I've been acting like a real bitch, and I'm sorry. But I've gone too far.**_

 _ **Rhea is gone. I said something I shouldn't have, and now she's on Raven's leash again. I'm getting back into shape, but I won't be able to find her unless everyone keeps an eye out.**_

 _ **I know you're busy, and with the way I've been acting toward you and others lately, I don't deserve your help. But please, she's my little sister. I lost her once, and I can't lose her again. Especially not to Raven.**_

 _ **Let me know if you see anything that could be a lead to Rhea. And if you actually see her, tell her I'm so sorry and would give anything for her to come back.**_

 _ **Be safe.**_

 _ **Love,**_

 _ **Yang.** '_

 _Two weeks later, JNPR arrived with no news._

 _SSSN was my only hope._

 ** _/\_**

As I broke down and started crying, my friends and family trying to comfort me, I didn't notice two twitching dark-blue eyes watching from afar.

A figure in the trees was wrapped in a cloak of feathers, a black bird flying away into the late-afternoon sky.

I needed to find Rhea.

My twin.

My missing half.

My sister.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_** ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Deleted Scenes

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Jaune)**

I sat on the porch of Ruby and Yang's cabin, sighing as I thought of all that had happened, how life was changing. I did not expect this when I forged those transcripts...

"Hello, Jaune." Pyrrha sat down next to me. "What are you thinking about?" I didn't reply, and when she rested her head on my shoulder, I inched away. "Jaune, what's-?"

"Pyrrha, that night... I think we both did things out of fear and relief." I admitted. "I didn't mind it, really, but... I think that if we're going to do this, we need to take it slow for a little while. Just see if things'll work, you know, if we get..."

" _ **Together** -together_?"

"Yeah... That."

In truth, I knew that I wasn't good enough for Pyrrha Nikos. This was a crush, and if I held out long enough, she'd lose interest and find someone else. It was what was best for her, even if it hurt. Both her and me...

"Oh... I see." Pyrrha nodded. "I think you're right." There was an explosion from the backyard. "I told Nora that Yang wasn't ready to train, yet!"

Pyrrha got up and ran into the house to the back-door, slamming the front door leaving me alone with my thoughts... For, like, two seconds.

A black bird landed in front of me, and with a flurry of feathers, it changed into an angry and annoyed Rhea.

"SHE'S INTO YOU, JAUNE!" She snapped, grabbing the back of my neck to keep my head in place and backhanding me across the face. "WHY CAN'T YOU SEE IT?!" She backhanded me across several more times, eyes twitching, then grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently, like a rag-doll. "WAKE UP!"

Rhea looked up as the sounds of people moving about in the house, her twitching blue eyes narrowing. She looked back at me as I regained my senses.

"R-Rhea?"

"Tell them to not come after me." She hissed, glaring as she raised a Grimm-mask to her face. "I'm too dangerous. Tell them I'm not sad to be around, and that no matter what they hear, they have to stay away."

"Rhea, wait!" I reached out as Rhea dissolved into black feathers, her bird-form flying away. I watched after her, stunned. Then, I raised hands to the sides of my face. "Ow..."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Nora)**

As we walked down the trail toward Mistral, I paused, frowning slightly. There was something wrong...

"I'll be right back." I smiled. "Gotta go, if you know what I mean." I put my pack down and skipped off into the woods. As I left the others' sight, I looked up. "I know you're there."

A black bird landed on a branch, a cyclone of feathers changing it into Rhea. She sat with her legs hanging off the branch and her fingers digging into the wood. Her blue eyes twitched behind a Grimm-mask, and I could almost imagine a creepy, horror-movie smile.

"Hello, Nora." She greeted. "Long time, no see. Did you miss me?" I crossed my arms, sighing as I shook my head.

"Rhea... I know what it's like to lose things, to feel like you're all alone in the world, to snap. That's what happened to me when my parents died." I looked down. "Then, Ren came along... Rhea, you need to snap out of it. Come with us, help us end this, and we'll bring down the ones who are hunting you."

"Don't you see?" Rhea asked, tilting her head to the side. "The whole world is hunting me. The bounty-hunters, the governments, those who fear the power of Branwens... Those who plot against this world as a whole is just one of many groups who seek my death. And all who do seek it don't care who else they have to destroy. Who they will destroy, if given the chance... I have to stay away. For the greater good."

"Is that you, or your mom talking?" I asked, and Rhea was silent. "Rhea, you're snapping. What if we end up fighting you, what if you can't stop yourself?" Rhea leapt down from the tree, walking up to face me.

She was a bit taller than me, so those blue eyes, the eyes of a madwoman, stared down into mine.

"Don't hesitate." She hissed. "If I can't be stopped, if I can't be contained... End me on the spot." My eyes widened. "Y-you must promise, Nora. I know you are quick, strong, and you're a better fighter than you let on. An equal, who hides her skill behind fun and fear..." How did she know that?! "Tell me you will kill me, if there is n-no other way."

"O-okay." I nodded shakily, unsure of what else to do. Rhea nodded, then pointed. "If you go that way, there is a town where you can resupply. You've already eaten all of the pancakes you packed."

... How?

"... I'm really gonna miss you, fellow leg-breaker." I admitted, smiling. Rhea shakily removed her mask, looking like she hadn't slept in days but smiling all the same.

"Protect my sister, will you?" She asked. "I have to go and check on the others." I raised an eyebrow.

"You're looking out for us?"

"Like anyone could stop me... I didn't abandon you, Nora." Rhea chuckled as she put her mask on. "I just took a step back, getting all the better view with which to watch you all grow."

With a flurry of feathers, a bird flew off, and I returned to the others.


	21. Author's Note

**_You guys aren't going to believe this, but the chapter I wrote and posted was so big (for me), that my iPad Mini wouldn't let me tag my little Author's Note onto the end!_** ** _Wow. Biggest chapter I've written in a long, long time. Oi vey... So, here is is._**

 ** _/\_**

 _ **Do you hate me, yet? I hate myself for the Ruby segment, most. That song (** Cold **, which doesn't belong to me, by the way) just gets me every time...**_

 _ **Jaune's little deleted scene is based off of something Jaune's voice-actor (Miles) said regarding Jaune's obliviousness to Pyrrha's feelings. I first saw that clip on MurderofBirds' **YouTube **channel, on a video of his called** She's Into You, Jaune! (Wake Up!) **If you've never seen Murder's channel, check it out. He does** RWBY **,** RWBY Chibi **, and** Red vs. Blue **reactions, and he released a few videos from his experience at RTX. He even has a video of the amazing people behind** RWBY **reacting to one of his reactions. He's one of my favorite Youtubers, and I honestly believe that he deserves a little more love and support. Great guy, super funny! Tell him IceWarrior13 sent ya!**_

 _ **Ahem...**_ ** _What will happen, next? Will Team RWB(B)Y be able to find Rhea before it's too late? Will they be able to help her snap back into the sane, stable Rhea we all know and love?_**

 ** _I only own my OCs. Please read,_** ** _review_** ** _, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	22. Fall From Grace (Rhea)

**_"Why didn't you return to me?"_**

 ** _"I'm done listening to you. If I have to run, I'll run. But not to you."_**

 ** _"Don't you understand how serious this is?! She's coming for us!"_**

 ** _" She?"_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _Close your eyes now, time for dreams..._**

 ** _Death is never what it seems..._**

 ** _Did the things you thought you should,_**

 ** _All the things they said were good..._**

 ** _..._**

How many different ways are there to say I'm sorry? I bet that if I asked someone like Pyrrha who apologized a lot or someone like Ren who was good with words, they'd know them all.

As I traveled around Remnant, I gathered intel and watched over my friends and family from afar.

Yang stayed home, training with her lone arm and eventually her prosthetic arm, which was impressive. Built to look human, but so much more than that. It could probably lift the Grimm Dragon, it was armed to the nails with state-of-the-art weaponry, and it was near-indestructible.

Thanks, Mom.

I saw Ruby and Team JNPR depart from Patch in an attempt to locate answers about Cinder Fall and her faction (and myself, I suppose).

I saw Weiss head to Atlas to try and reason with her father, to get him to loan her his resources to track down and end the one who started this.

I saw Blake leave and start hunting the White Fang to try and discover what they had to do with Cinder's plot. She wouldn't find much. Evidence of the blackmail was long spent, the only ones knowing the truth being myself, Adam, or dead and buried.

I had been watching that day, under my mother's orders. I should have known better, should have killed Cinder Fall where she stood. It would have come to that, anyway...

I checked on other I knew and cared about.

Penny was being repaired in Atlas by her father (creator), who was relieved to see her home alive and safe. I was, as well.

Team CFVY was doing well, helping to repair the damage in Vale and guard the people from remaining Grimm.

Team CRDL had changed in light of the battle. In the aftermath of such bloodshed, they helped everyone in Vale with whatever they needed, regardless of species or status. I only hoped that it would continue.

 ** _..._**

 ** _All your faith in ancient ways,_**

 ** _Leaves you trapped inside a maze._**

 ** _Take the lives of those you need,_**

 ** _Sow the death then reap the seed..._**

 ** _Reap the seed!_**

 ** _..._**

Ozpin was still missing, his group scattered across the world. I almost missed the manipulative bastard. I'd like to put emphasis on the _almost_.

Mom was just doing what she always did, just without me. I couldn't tell if she was sad, mad, or slightly proud of my choice to not go back to her. I wasn't so sure of my own feelings, either. Sure, she was a manipulative bitch who took me from my father, uncle, and sisters and raised me to be a cold-hearted warrior and killer, but she was still my mother.

Team SSSN was well, and they'd taken Brice in. For the sake of keeping the pronunciation, I'll call those idiots Team SSSNN. Neptune was reunited with his brother, Scarlet and Sage were alright, and Sun...

Sun was still looking for me. I guess he was doing it as a favor to Yang, or maybe he thought (like an optimistic fool) that our friendship could continue and he could bring me back. But the world doesn't work like that.

The world is dark, cruel, inhumane, and cold. I would have to run for the rest of my life so the people I loved could live their lives in peace. All because there were people out there who would kill me in an instant if given the chance, and for what? Fear of our reputation? It wasn't fair... But the world isn't fair, is it?

The world is is dark, cruel, inhumane, cold, unfair, and... And insane.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _Born an angel, heaven sent!_**

 ** _Falls from grace are never elegant..!_**

 ** _Stars will drop out of the sky,_**

 ** _The moon will sadly watch the roses die..!_**

 ** _..._**

I walked though the forest after the _Brice Incident_ , remembering that instant when I let out that laugh that probably convinced Team SSSN that I lost it, and when I almost killed the boy.

What was wrong with me? Why was I so angry? Was I losing my mind? This was getting worrying...

Maybe this was the real curse of the Branwens. Isolation and fear to the point of insanity. At least no one would ever see me like this, or whatever I became, ever again.

" _Rhea._ " A voice spoke. I looked around, finding nothing. " _Why did you leave us, Rhea?_ "

"Ruby?!" I asked, stunned. "Ruby, is that you?!" I started running toward the voice as I heard screams.

Team RWB(B)Y.

Team JNPR.

Team SSSNN.

Team CFVY.

Penny.

Uncle Qrow.

Dad.

Mom-

Mom?

I stopped in my tracks, eyes narrowing as my breath came out in ragged gasps, looking around.

 ** _..._**

 ** _In vain..._**

 ** _Lost, no gain..._**

 ** _But you're not taking me!_**

 ** _..._**

" _Rhea._ " A new voice spoke. " _You let Adam hurt me and Yang, Rhea. You're a traitor, just like him._ "

"Blake?!" I asked, starting to panic. "Blake, where are you?!" I couldn't see them! Why couldn't I see them?!

" _I always knew that you weren't one of us, Rhea._ " A new voice sneered. " _You're the real **Ice Queen**!_ "

"Weiss, you don't understand!" I raised my blade, still looking around like a madwoman. Whoever wasn't speaking was screaming in agony. "Where are you?!"

" _YOU LEFT ME! JUST LIKE MOM!_ " A form shuffled out of the woods. It was Yang, covered in blood with her arm-stump bleeding again, hair matted and clothing torn, eyes glowing red in rage. I backed away, eyes wide.

"Yang, please! I-!" My eyes widened as Yang charged yelling in fury, her whole body blazing. Her fist made contact, and my twin shattered into burning embers. "Y-Yang?!"

The screams got louder, and I fell to my knees, gripping the sides of my head and gritting my teeth.

 ** _..._**

 ** _You can't have my life!_**

 ** _I'm not your sacrifice!_**

 ** _You can try, but I'm free_**

 ** _And you won't conquer me!_**

 ** _..._**

" _You left us!_ "

" _Traitor!_ "

" _You were never one of us!_ "

" _You abandoned me!_ "

"I-I'm just trying to protect you..."

" _Where were you when we needed you?!_ "

" _You left us, just like our parents!_ "

" _Murderer!_ "

" _You betrayed us!_ "

"N-no, I would never-"

" _Rhea, you coward!_ "

"Sun-!"

" _Monster!_ "

" _Demon!_ "

" _Witch!_ "

"S-stop it..."

" _Kill me!_ "

" _Kill that monster!_ "

" _We trusted you!_ "

" _We liked you!_ "

" _We thought you were our friend!_ "

"Velvet, I-"

" _Aren't you our friend?!_ "

"Penny, please-!"

" _You're just like your mother._ "

" _You should have stayed dead._ "

"S-stop..."

" _This is what happens when you become attached._ "

"SHUT UP!"

I shot to my feet and swiped my blade, creating a barrier of icy spikes, looking around with wide eyes, scared to the point of madness.

I didn't sleep, that night. I didn't even get out of a fighting stance.

 _ **...**_

 _ **I won't crawl!**_

 _ **Most of all:**_

 _ **I won't fall**_

 _ **For you!**_

 _ **...**_

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

A month or two after that, I sat in a tree, holding a notepad and rolling my eyes behind my mask as I watched the White Fang camp (along with an unsuspecting Blake).

"Let's see. What do we have here?" I tapped my pen on the chin of my mask, sighing. "Blake is safe, being oh-so stealthy. White Fang being a bit... Docile, actually. No stolen goods in or out for ten days, no weaponry in sight, and they're actually dressing like individuals, not like a creepy underground society. Actually a bit concerning, when I think about it. Wonder what old Adam's up to... Speaking of my bull-headed ex-amigo, he is nowhere in sight. And I'm honestly getting bored, so he better show up so I can give him a solid ass-kicking for what he did to Yang... I really, really need to stop talking to myself."

I looked down at Blake as she watched from some bushes, looking like she was just as weirded out as I was by the White Fang's behavior. She had a new outfit, and it was pretty cool looking. Wonder how the others were...

My eyes were twitching again, so I whacked myself upside the head. I'd been alone with my thoughts for too long. I was unravelling, losing my senses, going bonkers, going...

Going crazy?

"Just what do you think you're doing?" A voice asked coldly. I nearly fell out of the tree as I realized that Adam Taurus was sitting in a branch at my height in a tree next to mine. Then, I gritted my teeth and glared, my hand wrapping around the hilt of my weapon. "Don't."

"One good reason."

"Blake will hear you, she'll come running, and I'll kill her for betraying the White Fang." Adam replied. Something about his voice, those words, seemed different, but I couldn't take any chances. I gritted my teeth, livid, but remained still until Blake departed for the day. "Rhea, what's with the mask?"

 ** _..._**

 ** _Show them gods and deities,_**

 ** _Blind and keep the people on their knees..!_**

 ** _Pierce the sky, escape your fate!_**

 ** _The more you try the more you'll just breed hate..!_**

 ** _..._**

"What's it to you?!" I stood on the branch and drew my Ice-Dust blade, leaping down to the forest floor. Adam landed next to me and grabbed my wrist.

"It's not you. What happened to living your own life?"

 **I want to! Help me!**

"That plan was thrown out the window when you hurt my teammate, and my sister!"

" _Sister_?" Adam was taken aback for a moment. "What do you..? That blonde girl was your  sister?!"

"Yeah." I glared. "You took her arm, her fight, her spirit. So, what do you think I should take from you?"

"Rhea, what the Hell's happened to you?! I know this isn't you!"

 **It's not! Help me!**

"It is, now!" I slashed my blade, and he whipped out Wilt and blocked it. "How does it feel, huh?! Someone you know and trust changing and you not knowing why or how to fix them?! WELCOME TO MY LIFE!"

I slashed again, Adam barely managing to block the rage-fueled strike, looking slightly panicked.

"Rhea?! What's gotten into you?!" He shifted his stance and threw me back a few feet, my boots skidding in the dirt as I wielded my blade dual-handedly. "Have you lost your mind?!"

 **Yes! Please, help me! Or run! Run away as fast as you can!**

"That depends! Remind me: is talking to yourself a sign of insanity or genius?!" I raised my blade in a challenge. "Forgive me for being blunt, but only one of us is walking away from this. Not that you'd care if it wasn't me, traitor!"

"Rhea!" Adam blocked my blade and gritted his teeth, both hands on the hilt of his blade as we stood at a standstill. "I thought you were done being like your mother! I thought you were done running and killing! I thought you were done being the villain!"

"Sometimes, to make things right, you've got to play the bad guy." I smirked. "Don't you agree?" I pulled one hand away from the blade, reared my fist back, and socked Adam in the face.

He flew into a tree, his mask falling off and shattering as he sat in a daze. He looked up at me with dull, slowly-widening red eyes.

 **I'm sorry! Please, help me! Hurry, before I hurt you!**

"Rhea, I didn't know that girl was your sister. I-"

"Oh, that makes it all better!" I mocked, walking over and dragging my blade on the ground, ice crawling across the forest floor. " _I didn't know Rhea was your younger sister! Let's just magic your arm back! **Poof!**_ And you hurt Blake, too, Adam! Just like you hurt Raven! Just like you hurt ME!"

"Rhea!" Adam barely dodged my blade, the Ice-Dust stabbing through the tree, freezing, and shattering it. "You need to calm down! You're snapping!"

 **I'm going to kill you! Kill me if you can, but just get away! Please! I don't want to hurt people, anymore!**

"Oh, but I've already snapped!" I raised my blade in a challenge as the bull-Faunus got to his feet. "I killed Cinder Fall, Adam! I nearly killed some suicidal kid just because he made me angry! I guess it's in my blood, eh?! INSANITY AND MURDER, THE BRANWEN LEGACY!"

"Rhea, snap out of it!"

 **Adam, run!**

"Snap out of what?" I asked coyly, twirling my blade in my hand. "Isn't this what everyone wanted?! They want the evil Branwen to reveal herself as the enemy, the traitor, the coward! Or maybe the weak little girl ready to snap like a twig! They want me to stop being so **PERFECT**! Well, I'm  not perfect! I guess I'm just like you, huh?! I'm a crazy, insane, sick, twisted sociopath!" I did a spinning-kick and sent Adam flying into another tree, walking over and raising my blade to finish the job once and for all. "And just like you, nothing will stop me until the next one shows up to take my place."

 **Rhea, stop!**

"Rhea, stop!" A voice shouted frantically. My left eye twitched, and I turned to see Blake standing there, Gambol Shroud ready and eyes wide. "W-what are you doing, Rhea?!"

 ** _..._**

 ** _And lies!_**

 ** _Truth will rise,_**

 ** _Revealed by mirrored eyes!_**

 ** _..._**

"Avenging my sister." I replied calmly, getting out of my stance. "Or would you like the privilege?"

"Rhea, killing him isn't the answer." Blake tried. "Killing him won't bring Yang's arm back... Rhea, you need to calm down. You need to snap out of it."

"Already tried that." Adam winced, gripping his side as he sat at the base of the tree. "Didn't work out so good... Run, Blake."

"No!" Blake glared, getting in a fighting-stance. "I'm done r-" Adam held a hand out to stop her.

"She's lost it, Blake..." Adam looked up at her. "She'll kill us both... You need to run, now!"

 **I would never kill Blake! Snap out of it, Rhea!**

"Maybe you should listen to your old ex-boyfriend, _Blake-y_." I chuckled darkly, eyes twitching out of sync as I gestured with my blade toward Adam. "I'll finish things here, and maybe we can have a nice little chat later."

 **Run, Blake!**

"That's it." Blake shadow-cloned and knocked me away from Adam. "I don't know what's gotten into you, Rhea! The White Fang isn't under Cinder's control anymore! Adam's changing his part of the organization back to the old ways, can't you see that?!"

"... You even broke my last mask." Adam wheezed, getting to his feet. "You and Raven were right, Rhea... I don't want the White Fang to be terrorists like that _fire-bitch_."

" _Cinder's control_?" I stood. "I didn't see her holding Adam's hand and guiding his blade when it stabbed you or took off Yang's arm."

 ** _..._**

 ** _What if all the plans you made_**

 ** _Were not worth the price they paid?_**

 ** _Even with the lives you stole,_**

 ** _Still no closer to your..._**

 ** _Goal._**

 ** _..._**

"I know, Rhea! Yang and I will never fully forgive him for what he's done, but I believe in second-chances! Don't you, Rhea?!"

 **Yes!**

"Look where _second-chances_ got me." I gritted my teeth, raising my blade. "Blake, Adam: it's been a pleasure. But I'm afraid that this is the end of the line, for both of you."

Blake looked scared out of her wits behind her enraged façade, and I had already beaten Adam to Hell. They stood no chance against me.

I smirked, taking a step forward with my dual-handed grip, ready to finish the fight once and for all.

 **NO!**

I gasped and raised a hand to my face, staggering slightly. My head was pounding, and I could distantly hear Adam and Blake yelling my name.

 **You can't kill them! They're your friends, Rhea! The very people you're trying to protect!**

I shot back into the present, my blade falling from my hands as I fell to my knees and gripped the sides of my head, clenching my eyes shut.

"Rhea?!" Blake kneeled next to me, ripping my mask from my face. "Rhea?" I slowly looked up at her, my vision blurry for some reason.

"G-get away." I whispered quietly as Adam crouched down next to her. "I-I'm not safe to be around." Blake and Adam's eyes widened.

"Rhea, we can help you." Blake tried. "Just come with me, okay? We can help you, get the team back together, and end this fight."

I looked at the two for a moment, then drew something from my pocket. I pressed a flash-drive into Blake's hand, eyes twitching.

"S-some people are born to be outcasts, murderers, vigilantes, villains, and p-psychopaths." I looked down. "I'll only do more damage."

"Rhea, being alone like this is driving you crazy." Blake stated. "Your mother has set you up to be unstable. But we can fix you, Rhea! Trust us!"

 ** _..._**

 ** _You can't have my life!_**

 ** _I'm not your sacrifice!_**

 ** _You can try, but I'm free_**

 ** _And you won't conquer me!_**

 ** _..._**

"... You can't fix something that's shattered." I slowly forced myself to my feet, Adam and Blake standing, and I wiped away tears I hadn't known I had been shedding. "Mistral... Mistral is where Ruby and Team JNPR must go for answers... Answers about the one behind this."

"Who's behind this?" Blake asked. I picked up my blade, then took my mask from her, looking down at it.

"People got the idea of wearing the faces of Grimm from somewhere." I looked up, eyes narrowed. "An ancient fairytale, told to make small children fear the dark of the night. Older than the _Seasons_ , older than the _Silver-Eyed Warriors_ , older than mankind itself... The Grimm Queen is coming for us all."

"How do you know?" Blake asked, looking like she thought I was insane. "Rhea, how do you know?"

"My mother has contacted me once on my journey." I looked around warily. "The Roses and the Branwens, two long lines of great power... Both of them her greatest enemies." I looked back at Blake. "That's who my mother's been training me to fight, that's whose minions are hunting me, that's why I have to kill off the darkness of this world. I'm decreasing her power, buying time."

"Buying time for what?" Adam asked. I gave a small smirk, putting my mask back on.

"The only one on this godforsaken planet who can beat her. The last _Silver-Eyed Warrior_... My sister can't do it alone. She'll need all the help she can get. From her teammates, her friends, people who were enemies once but have no other choice but to join forces... My help shall come from afar."

"Ruby?" Blake asked, surprised. I took a step back. "Rhea, don't! You don't have to do this!"

"Oh, but I do." I turned away. "It's my job, Blake... The Branwens raise, train, and protect the Roses, the suffer and die so they can fulfill their destiny. It's a tale as long as history."

"Rhea, you're not well." Adam warned. "If you keep this up, you're going to completely lose your mind! You almost just killed us!" I looked back, blinking out of sync.

"... Exactly why I have to keep running." I stated, turning away. "Because the odds are, no one on Remnant's willing to **kill** me but  her... See you around."

I darted into the woods, changed into a raven, and flew off before they could catch me.

As I flew, I felt my head clear. I snapped out of my craze, and guilt formed in my gut over my actions. I nearly killed two people I cared about, and I was barely able to stop myself.

Then, I sighed in disappointment and disapproval of myself, and I did my best to focus on where I was going and what I was doing.

At least my little stunt would deter them and others from searching for me, because where I was going, they could not follow.

 ** _..._**

 ** _I won't crawl!_**

 ** _Most of all:_**

 ** _I won't fall_**

 ** _For you!_**

 ** _..._**

But before I could go there, I would need to rest my body and my mind somewhere safe. There was no point in getting myself killed, just yet.

...

 _A smaller, innocent, more honest soul. It's true that a simple spark can ignite hope, and breathe fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to obtain strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute... Which is why I will focus all of my power to protect it._

 _How does it feel, knowing that all of your time and effort has been for nothing? That your minions will fail you? That everything you've created will be fall apart before your very eyes?_

 _Your faith in Cinder Fall's little faction was not misplaced. When banded together, unified by a common, dark dictator (sent by you, no doubt), they were a noticeable threat._

 _But divide them, take their leader, place doubt into their minds, and any semblance of power they once had will fade away. Of course, they won't realize it at first. Like you, they'll cling to their insanity, their dark hopes and dreams, the bonds that once held them to evil. To you. But this is merely the first move, and already they've pushed me to far._

 _They've threatened my friends, my family, those I care about. They've hurt too many people, and they've driven me from my home and people who love me. I've fallen into the dark depths of insanity._

 _So, you send your minions. Your Grimm and demons. And when they fail and you finally reveal yourself, know that you come to the same pitiful demise. This is the beginning of the end, bitch. And I can't wait to watch you burn._

 _..._

 _ **Well... Rhea's snapped. But, at least she's still sane enough to know she's snapped. Not that that's any comfort to poor Blake and Adam...**_

 _ **What will the next chapter bring? Will someone finally track Rhea down and snap her back into the world of sanity? Should Rhea remain a lone-wolf forever, or should I ship her with someone? I NEED TO KNOW! :)**_

 _ **I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thank!**_


	23. RWBBY Chibi!

In a space of pure blinding-white, an ombré yellow word with pink outlines fell out of the sky. _Chibi_. It was followed by a pink _Scatter_ -symbol with blue outlines falling to the _Chibi_ 's side. Finally, a big white _RWBBY_ with blue outlines landed right on top of the _Chibi_.

Team RWB(B)Y popped up all around the words and symbol. Ruby waved from next to _Scatter_ , Weiss stood on top of _Scatter_ , Blake rested her head on her hands from on top of the WB of _RWBBY_ , and Yang leaned on the Y.

A black bird landed in the Y and changed into Rhea in a puff of feathers, and she crossed her arms and smirked as she sat there.

 _"RWBBY CHIBI!"_

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

A cute, chubby, Chibi-Rhea popped up on the screen and glared, crossing her arms and scowling.

"Okay, guys." She deadpanned, breaking the forth-wall. "Whoever's idea it was to make me a Chibi is a dead man. I will hunt you down, I will break your legs, and I will rip out your spine and beat you to death with it."

"Aw, Rae!" Yang yelled play-disappointedly from off-screen. "If you talk like that, people will think you're crazy or something!"

"Okay, Yang." Rhea rolled her eyes coyly, then winked at the screen as her other blue eye twitched slightly, raising a finger to her mouth to warn the audience to be silent. "Shh!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Team RWB(B)Y walked down a sidewalk in the Beacon courtyard with Team JNPR, looking around.

"Here Rhea, Rhea, Rhea!" Ruby tried. "If you come out, I'll give you some nice bread-crumbs!"

"It's you!" Nora snapped, scaring a bunch of ravens, shaking her fist at them as they flew off. "Hiding behind your brethren, Rhea?! Using them as a shield! Come back, you coward!

"Uh..." Sun came into the picture, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. "What's going on, here?"

"Rhea's the last one missing for _hide n' seek_." Nora looked around, eyes narrowed with determination. "We've checked all of Beacon, so now we're checking all the birds!"

"What makes you think she'd change back, even if she was a bird?" Sun asked, confused. "And why do you think that bread-crumbs would work? If anything, she'd find it offensive."

"Aw..!" Ruby looked up at the sky with teary eyes, not noticing Yang taking a handful of bread-crumbs from a bag and shoving them into her mouth. "I'm sorry, Rhea! Please don't be mad at me! Do you want bird-seed?! Worms?!" Sun face-palmed, then sighed and pointed off-screen.

"I saw her go that way, in human-form." He stated. The eight ran off, and Sun smiled as he leaned against a tree. "They're gone."

Rhea's top-half popped out of the tree, hanging upside-down with arms crossed her head right next to Sun's, black hair hanging down.

"Did you manage to get me any of those bread-crumbs?" She asked, smiling hopefully. Sun laughed and shook his head, smiling.

"Sorry." He tried. Rhea sighed and let her arms fall slack and hand, closing her eyes and letting out a long noise of disappointment.

"Aw..!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

As she sat on Yang's bed, Rhea glared at Zwei with crossed arms as the dog sat and gazed back at her, seemingly smiling as he panted with his tongue sticking out of his mouth.

"I don't know how you brainwashed the others with your cuteness, but you'll never take me alive." Rhea assured. Zwei flattened his ears and let out a slight whimper. "No." Zwei got up and ran over, looking up at her with his best puppy-dog eyes.

' _Please, love me._ '

"No." Rhea gritted her teeth. The dog rolled over. "No!" Zwei stood and wagged his tail. "I will not be fooled by your cuteness!" Zwei sat on his haunches and raised his front paws, letting out a cute little bark.

'Oh, yes you will be!'

"No!" Rhea scowled, then Zwei leapt up and leaned up against her side, cuddling before walking onto the girls lap, curling up, and falling asleep. Rhea glared at him, then sighed and gave a light smile before letting the dog's head. "You're a brave little mutt. I'll give you that."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Two figures met in a dark place: a chibi-fied Brice E. Null and Ruby Rose. They looked around, making sure that they're alone, then...

"You got the stuff?" Ruby asked quietly, looking like she was making a really shady deal. Brice nodded.

"You got the lien?" He asked. Ruby handed him the lien-chips, Brice counted them, then the boy handed Ruby a huge stack of books. The entire collection of the _Ninjas of Love_ series. "Pleasure doing business with you." Ruby suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"Where did you even find these?" She asked cautiously. Brice was silent, expression blank.

 ** _/\_**

 _Brice was in Vale, walking around before the Vytal Festival took place, looking bored out of his mind._

 _He suddenly noticed Chibi-Emerald and Chibi-Mercury leaving a place called **Tukson's Bookstore** , not noticing as Brice watched the two of them with a raised eyebrow._

 _"What?" Mercury asked Emerald, looking at a comic-book. "I like the pictures." Brice entered the store, relaxed, and looked around._

 _He browsed around for a while, then found a whole section on the shady side of the store labeled **Ninjas of Love**. Out of curiosity, he opened the first book and skimmed it. An eyebrow raised, the boy reaching up and pushing it down, shrugging and grabbing one of every book in the series._

 _Brice went to the front of the shop, only to notice the dead body of Chibi-Tukson. He stared at the body for a second, then slowly backed away before darting out the door with the books._

 ** _/\_**

Brice shrugged, giving a small, devious smile as Ruby began reading the first book again.

"I know a guy."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

A tiny, toddler Chibi-Rhea in a cute, little dark-blue dress tugged on a Chibi-Raven's sleeve, pointing up at birds flying in the sky.

"I wish I could fly like them, Mommy." Rhea sighed. Raven raised an eyebrow, then smiled deviously.

 ** _/\_**

Raven and toddler-Rhea looked over the edge of a steep cliff, Raven smirking slightly at the long drop before scooping her daughter up and holding her over the edge.

"Now, arms spread out like wings." Raven ordered. Rhea obeyed, even giving a few flaps. "Legs together." Rhea obeyed. "And imagine becoming a bird." Rhea nodded, tightly closing her big blue eyes and focusing. "Do not close your eyes." Rhea opened her eyes. "Are you ready?"

"A-are you sure that this is a good idea, Mommy?"

"Of course. My father did this to my brother and I when we were younger than you are, now. Of course, it was a different cliff..." Raven frowned, turning and seeing a white-marble monument further down the cliff, then shook it off and smiled. "But it's tradition."

"O-okay!" Rhea smiled. "I'm ready!" With that, Raven dropped Rhea. "WHEEE-!" The woman closed her eyes and smiled, crossing her arms behind her back and rocking on her heels as she waited for her daughter to fly. "EEEE-!"

"Huh?" Raven opened her eyes, raising an eyebrow and frowning. "She should be a bird, by now."

"EEEE-!"

"I guess she's just a _late-fledger_."

"EEEE-!"

"Any second now..."

"Eeeee- AHHHHH!"

"I did that my first time." Raven was slowly but surely growing concerned. "She'll be fine, she's a Branwen."

"AHHHHH..!" The screaming suddenly cut off. Raven panicked, looking over the edge of the cliff.

"Rhea?!" Raven turned into a raven and darted off the cliff, flying down. A moment later, a smaller Raven flew up and landed on the cliff, changing into a brightly-smiling Rhea.

"Mommy, I did it!" Rhea beamed, then raised an eyebrow. "Mommy?"

 ** _/\_**

Meanwhile...

"Yang, get down from there!" Chibi-Taiyang glared, one hand on his hip as he held a little toddler-Ruby in the opposite arm. "Qrow, get her down!"

"I'm trying!" A Chibi-Qrow snapped, walking across the rooftop as a toddler-Yang laughed, far too close to the edge. "I need you to calm down and come with me, _Firecracker_."

"Nope!" Yang turned and pouted, crossing her arms. "Not until Dad says that I don't have to clean my room, today!" Qrow looked at Taiyang pleadingly, but Taiyang shook his head. "Then, I'm not coming down. Not- AH!"

Yang screamed as she fell off the roof, Qrow diving to catch her, only for Yang to change into a falcon and fly up, soaring high above her wide-eyes uncle and father. Then, she dove down and started viscously pecking Taiyang in the head, much to Qrow and Ruby's amusement. As they laughed, Taiyang winced.

"Just-! OW! Like-! OW! Your-! OW! Mother-! OW!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Rhea walked into the Team RWBBY dorm-room, and she raised an eyebrow as she saw Ruby sleeping in a bed with an open book on her stomach.

Rhea walked over and picked the book up, noticing several others from the same series scattered on her younger sister's bed, then opened the book and scanned the pages.

Her blue eyes narrowed, and Rhea set the book down and flipped open her scroll, pulling up three numbers and dialing them as a group.

"I need some backup..."

 ** _/\_**

Ruby woke up to see four people, arms crossed and glaring at her. Rhea, Yang, Taiyang, and Qrow. A white banner hung behind them with the word INTERVENTION written in large, bright-red letters.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked. Rhea held up a copy of the first _Ninjas of Love_ book, blue eyes narrowed. Ruby instantly tensed up and blushed, embarrassed. "Oh... Heh-heh..."

"This is filth." Rhea spat. "FILTH!" Rhea whacked Ruby with the book, leaving Ruby dazed as she stormed off to let the rest of the family...

Intervene.

Meanwhile, Blake slipped in and gathered all of her own copies of the book series, then slipped out and darted down the hallway.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

A younger Chibi-Adam deadpanned as a young Rhea laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and smiling as she held a scroll out to take a selfie.

"Smile!" She ordered. Adam rolled his red eyes, ignoring her. "Smile, or I'll break your legs with a sledge-hammer." Adam's eyes widened, and he smiled in fear as Rhea smiled brightly took her picture. "Thank you!"

Rhea walked off, leaving Adam sighing in relief. Raven was revealed to be watching, arms crossed and tapping her foot, eyebrow raised.

"Wow." She commented, Adam looking over at her. "What a badass. Truly, one of my most formidable students." Adam deadpanned, putting his face in his hands, and Raven turned, walking off. "I've got to stamp out that damn _Xiao-Long peppiness_..."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Rhea laughed as she laid on Yang's bed, Zwei laying on her chest and licking her face as she flailed around.

"Stop it, Zwei!" She pleaded through her laughter. "I admit it! You're cute! Just stop it!" Rhea sat up, wiped the saliva off her face, and she started rubbing the dog's belly, giggling to herself. Then, Rhea noticed her teammates gaping at her from the doorway and paused, looking around awkwardly. "Uh..." Rhea shoved Zwei off the bed, smiling nervously as she looked up at her stunned teammates. "What's up?"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

A giant golden police-badge flashes onscreen with Sun and Neptune wearing black mustaches.

 _"JUNIOR DETECTIVES!"_

Sun pointed at an unknown suspect in a dimly-lit room, his detective-mustache on, glaring venomously at whoever it was he was with.

"I know you know more than you're saying!" He announced. Neptune slid onscreen next to his partner, arms crossed and glaring before holding a lamp in the suspect's face.

"Spill, or we'll be forced to take drastic measures! Where is she?! Where is Rhea Branwen?!" A raven stood on the table, and it let out a loud cry, ruffling its black wings. "I think that was a confession! Rhea has been placed under an evil super-villain's mind-control!"

"No, wait!" Sun argued. "Rhea has been kidnapped by Raven and brainwashed into attacking her friends!" Neptune gasped, gripping his heart.

"The horror!" The bird cawed again, and Neptune burst into tears, clamping his hands over his ears as his mustache fell off. "STOP IT! I CAN'T HEAR ANYMORE! IT'S JUST TOO HORRIBLE!" Sun fell to his knees, glaring at the ceiling and shaking his fist threateningly.

"WE'RE COMING FOR YOU, RHEA!" He shouted. "STAY STRONG! YOU WILL BE SAVED!" A hand was placed on Sun's shoulder, and he looked up (mustache falling off) to see Rhea, who raised an eyebrow and gave a slight smile.

"What makes you think that I need saving anymore, _Sunshine_?" She asked coyly. Sun and Neptune gaped at her, and the raven cawed. "Were you guys interrogating a bird?"

"RHEA!" Sun shot to his feet and hugged the girl. Then, he pulled away and coughed into his fist. "Um... Hi?" Rhea rolled her eyes and smiled, looking over at a stunned Neptune, placing her hands on her hips.

"Hey."

"But, you were crazy!" Neptune exclaimed, eyes wide. "You lost it, you ran away, and you tried to kill people! How are you back to normal?!" Rhea crossed her arms, smiling deviously as Sun looked just as confused.

"Well, you see-"

"NOPE!" Nora popped into the foreground, raising her arms and looking out at the audience while Sun, Neptune, and Rhea looked at her in surprise. "Everything is fine! Rhea is fine!" Rhea raised an index finger, taking a step forward.

"Actually-"

"NOPE!" Nora interrupted her, eyes widening to frightening sizes. "Nothing bad ever happens! EVER!" Sun rubbed the back of his neck nervously, looking over at Rhea.

"But-"

"NOPE!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

" _This is the way we want to spend every day,_

 _Laughing with our friends and keeping sadness away!_

 _Join us and see, we can be happy and free!_

 _Life is full of fun because we're all chi-bi!_ "

 ** _HAHAHAHAHA! I can't believe I did that! Lots of people requested a ToTD-Chibi, but I never thought I'd actually do it! What did you think?!_**

 ** _I only own Rhea. ghost83 owns Brice. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	24. For My Sister (Yang)

It was finally time for me to go and find Rhea. I was ready.

I dressed in a pair of baggy dark-grey pants, an orange tank-top, a brown-grey jacket with my emblem on the left shoulder, and white sneakers. I put my hair in a ponytail, and I packed a bag with money, ammo, food, and anything I'd need to survive on the road.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Dad asked. I nodded, sure. "What about Zwei?"

"Dad, I'll be fine. I'll find Rhea, and I'll bring her home."

"Okay... If you need anything-"

"Dad..!"

"Okay, okay... Just be safe, okay?"

"Okay." I hugged him tightly, and he hugged me back as if he could make me stay. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you, too... Yang, if you see Raven or if Rhea really isn't right, **run**. They're dangerous."

"... I know."

 ** _/\_**

I decided that the first place I should check would be the best source of information I knew: the one and only Junior.

But there was no way I could get to his club on foot, not in the next month. I had to be as fast as possible, for the sake of Rhea's sanity... I would have to take an airship to the coast of Vale, and I would have to take something to the airship docks and through Vale.

It was time to bring _Bumblebee_ out of the shed.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I rode through Vale on my motorcycle, going to the mostly-undamaged shady-side of town. Junior's nightclub was as loud and busy as ever.

I climbed off my motorcycle and slowly approached the club, remembering the last time I had been there.

Rhea, Neptune, and I had been seeking information on Torchwick. Rhea had punched Neptune in the face and somewhat-befriended the Malachite Twins, and I'd threatened Junior while Neptune made an idiot of himself. Good times. Innocent times...

I stepped through the front door, not acting at all like I usually did when entering the club. Instead of making a big show of myself or breaking the door down and yelling, I was completely silent as I gazed around the room.

I had been so different, the last time I was there. The world had been so different. I thought I was so invincible, but now I knew that was all an illusion. I knew that I was vulnerable.

"Welcome to Hei Xiaong's Nightclub." The one and only Junior walked up. "I'm Hei Xiaong, or _Junior_. Is this your first time here?"

"... Hey, Junior." I smiled tiredly, giving a wave with my robotic hand. The man's eyes slowly widened.

"Wait... _Blondie_?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Long time, no see... It's good to see that you didn't lose your place in the attack." Junior blinked a few times, stunned.

"What's wrong with you, Blondie?" He asked, sounding a bit concerned. "What happened to you?"

"Well..." I pulled up my right sleeve and tapped a section of my arm, a panel opening to reveal the glowing-yellow wires and circuitry. "The Battle of Beacon didn't go so well... Junior, I'm not here to trash your club or anything like that. I'm here to, honestly, beg for help."

" _Help_?" Junior asked, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "How could I help?" I held up my scroll, showing a picture.

It was Rhea, Ruby, and I. I laughed as I wrapped my right arm around Rhea's shoulders, my twin smiling uncomfortably at the contact. Ruby had leapt in front of us to photobomb, her arms spread out with her cloak fluttering behind her, laughing.

"Remember when that girl came with me into the club?" I gestured to Rhea. "She was the one who punched that blue-haired boy to keep him from flirting with Melanie and Miltia." Said twins walked over and looked at the picture as Junior and I talked, eyes widening slightly. Junior nodded, frowning.

"Yeah. So?"

"She's my younger twin sister." I admitted, much to Melanie and Miltia's astonishment. Even Junior seemed surprised. "There's actually a lot of resemblance when you look past the hair and eyes... She's been missing for a few months. There was a misunderstanding, and she ran. I need to find her before she hurts herself. If there's anything you know, please... I lost her once. I can't lose her, again."

Melanie and Miltia looked up at Junior, then grabbed him by the arms and pulled him a few paces away. The three were whispering, violently arguing over something. Junior shook his head, eyes filled with pity, but Melanie and Miltia were adamant about something. They kept pointing to me and to themselves, likely guilt-tripping Junior. Wow... Those two girls actually earned my respect.

Finally, the three walked back over, Junior sighing and shaking his head as he looked up at me.

"I hate to break it to you, Blondie. Really, I do. But..." Junior slowly pointed to the far end of the bar, bowing his head. "Your search is over."

My eyes widened as they fell on a familiar figure in blue hunched over a glass. It was Rhea, large bags under her blue eyes, hair matted, clothes wrinkled.

"Another one." My sister muttered, her left eye twitching. "Gotta... Gotta keep my head foggy."

"Rhea!" I ran over, placing my real hand on Rhea's shoulder. "You're okay! Do you have any idea how worried we've been?! I am so sorry! I-!"

"Go away." Rhea glared drunkenly up at me. "You ***hic*** wanted me to run, so now I'm ***hic*** running."

"Rhea, Sun wrote to tell us that you're slipping, and Blake wrote to tell me what happened with Adam. We need to get you home, or to a doctor-"

"I'll go to a doctor ***hic*** when you drag my cold, lifeless ***hic*** body!" Rhea gestured to the door. "Go!"

"No more for you, tonight." The bartender shook his head. "Go home with your sister, kid."

"N-not safe..." Rhea stood and started stumbling out of the club, pulling out a flask. I ran over and ripped it from her hands. "Give it ***hic*** back!"

"No!" I glared, knowing that this was for her own good. "You're drunker than Uncle Qrow!" Rhea threw a punch, and I caught it, throwing her back. My sister regained her stance and drew her Ice-Dust blade, her left eye twitching violently. "Junior, just this once, I think we'll have to fight on the same side."

"I think you're right, Blondie." Junior stated, he and the Malachite Twins standing beside me. I looked over at him warily.

"Evacuate the club. If you think I'm bad, Rhea's WAY worse." I raised my fists and activated my gauntlets. "I'll buy time, but I'll need backup soon." Junior nodded, he and the other two running off and ordering the bar to clear.

Rhea and I faced off, her blade against my gauntlets, glaring at each other like enemies instead of sisters. Rhea drunkenly gestured to the flask I had placed at my belt, scowling.

"Give that back and let me leave, and this won't have to get ugly."

"Rhea, who are you kidding?" I asked. "You are no Uncle Qrow. This fight is already over." Rhea growled and went to a dual-handed grip on her blade.

My eyes narrowed. Rhea never went dual-handed, not unless she was going up against a potentially stronger sword-wielder. She must have really, really been losing it.

Rhea charged, and I slammed my fists together and charged at her, both of us meeting at the middle of the floor. I dodged her swipes and blocked her blade with my synthetic arm, reading my real fist back and punching her in the chest, sending my sister flying onto the dance floor.

She recovered and looked up as I charged onto the floor, stabbing the ground with her blade to create an ice sheet. Rhea smirked as I slipped, standing and releasing silver-spikes in her shoes, running at me and swiping her her blade. I tried to avoid it, but the power launched at me froze me in an ice-wall. My head was the only part of me that was free from the ice.

"Heh..." Rhea's blue eyes twitched out of sync as she smiled like a madwoman, dragging her blade along the floor as she approached me. I couldn't free myself. I couldn't even struggle.

Rhea arrived, pat the ice-wall to assure its strength, then raised her blade over my neck. My eyes widened.

"Rhea, please!" I begged. Rhea paused, her smile falling into a conflicted frown, then my sister yelled in surprise as she was hit by a rocket and sent flying into a wall.

Junior and the Malachite Twins had returned, and Junior raised his weapon in bat-mode, shattering the ice and freeing me from the wall.

"You alright, Blondie?"

"Yeah." I looked over at Rhea, glaring as she stood up and raised her blade. "My sister's still in there, but I don't think she's going to be any help... Don't hold back." I raised my fists, the other three getting into fighting stances.

We charged, all four of us attacking my sister at once. Rhea managed to hold us off for a little while, but then my twin slipped up.

Melanie's boot-heel sliced across her stomach, and Rhea was suddenly at the disadvantage due to the weakness of that area, her old injury still affecting her. Miltia swiped her claws and managed to shatter Rhea's aura, leaving a shallow slice on Rhea's face. Junior got her in the back with his bat, sending Rhea flying toward me. I reared my metal-fist back and punched her in the chest, sending her crashing to the floor.

"Ugh..." Rhea groaned, gripping her stomach as blood leaked out of the gash on her face. I had an idea and pulled the flask from my belt, waving it.

"You want it?" I asked, and Rhea's eyes flashed red. "Come and get it!" I ran out of the bar, Rhea getting up and sloppily running after me. As soon as she was outside, my sister was doused in freezing rain that came with a warmer winter night, and her eyes widened, turning back to their normal blue as she hugged herself and shivered. I slowly walked over to her, guard raised. "Rhea?"

"Yang?" Rhea asked, blinking the effects of the insanity and the alcohol off, her aura kicked into effect by the cold. Then, her blue eyes widened in horror. "Yang, I'm sorry! I-!"

I crushed my younger twin sister in a tight hug, refusing to let go as she started to struggle in my grasp.

"I'm so, so sorry." I whispered. Rhea stopped struggling and tensed up. "What I said... It was wrong, and a bitch-move, and I'm so sorry."

"... You think I'm mad at you?" Rhea's voice asked quietly. My eyes widened, and I pulled away. "Yang, you lost your arm. I wasn't fast enough to stop it. It's my fault, and I-"

"No! You were hurt! How could I have expected you to do anything?! I was the one who rushed into danger! It was all my fault! And now it's my fault that you're like this!"

We both glared at each other, both of us trying to take the blame, then Rhea sighed and shook her head.

"Yang, it doesn't matter." My sister bowed her head. "I would have had to leave soon, anyway. Even Beacon couldn't protect me for long... And I can't protect my friends from what I'm becoming. You need to let me go."

"Rhea, no-"

"Yang, I nearly killed Blake, Adam, and some innocent little kid just because I got angry! I nearly killed you and all those people! I'm going crazy, hallucinating! If I don't keep running, I'm going to end up hurting someone!"

"And live long enough to see yourself become a villain?!"

"Sometimes, to do what's right, you have to be the bad guy! If running away and losing my mind in isolation makes me bad, I'm fine with you killing me as long as you get to survive!"

"Rhea..." My eyes widened and teared up as I saw my sister falling apart in front of me. "You can't mean that." It was silent for a moment, then...

"I... I don't." Rhea's blue eyes filled with tears, and she hugged herself, shaking and looking down. My eyes widened as she started sobbing. "H-help me!" I hugged my sister tightly, and she hugged back.

"I've got you, Rhea." I whispered. "And I'm never letting you go, ever again... You're coming home with me, we're fixing you, and you're going to be alright. I will never let anyone, especially Raven, hurt you ever again... You're safe."

We stood there for a few moments, then rain stopped touching us. I looked up to see a black umbrella, Junior looking at me with pity.

"Come on, Blondie. You kids can stay in the rooms above the club, tonight... I don't like the idea of you on the streets at night, especially with all that's happened in the last few months."

"Tell me about it." I waved my fake arm, leaving my real arm wrapped around the sobbing Rhea as we followed Junior back into the nightclub. "Word of advice: don't charge a guy with an aura-slicing sword just because he pissed you off. It won't end well." Junior let out a small laugh at that.

"I'll try to keep that in mind."

 ** _/\_**

That night, I didn't really sleep much. I just watched over Rhea, wondering what had driven her to this.

Blake told us that Rhea had been rambling about some _Grimm Queen_ , and that Rhea claimed to be buying time and weakening the Grimm Queen's power so Ruby could beat her. She called Ruby _the last of the Silver-Eyed Warriors_.

But was that all the product of my sister's isolated and deranged mind, or was she right and the fairytale-villain was real, coming for us all?

My sister started twitching in her sleep, and I ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm her down.

"It's okay, Rhea." I whispered. "You're safe, now. It's alright...

 ** _One life_**

 ** _Is not a long time_**

 ** _When you're waiting_**

 ** _For a small sign..._** " I started to sing, and Rhea calmed slightly. I smiled sadly and continued.

" ** _Patience_**

 ** _Is hard to find..._**

 ** _Shadows_**

 ** _Seem to fill your life..._** " I thought of all my younger twin had been through. All for the sake of protecting those she cared about, protecting me.

" ** _Don't be disappointed,_**

 ** _Don't let your heart break,_**

 ** _Don't spend another minute_**

 ** _In this way..._**

 ** _It's okay._** " I knew that this was mainly Raven's fault. She guilt-tripped Rhea, raised her to be unstable. But I had helped with the break, screaming at Rhea when all she wanted was to help me. I had to fix this. I had to fix my broken little sister, and fast.

" ** _Dry your eyes now, baby..._**

 ** _Broken wings won't hold you down._**

 ** _You'll take flight soon, baby..._**

 ** _You'll be lifted up,_**

 ** _And you'll be there..._** " But for right now, despite the awful circumstances, it felt good to be needed as a big sister again. I missed it.

I missed having someone small and helpless who needed me to be there for them, to support them. But I never thought that I would actually have to really play the part of _big-sister_ to Rhea. She was always so strong...

" ** _Twelve hours_**

 ** _Is a long night_**

 ** _When you're searching_**

 ** _With no hope in sight..._**

 ** _Aimless_**

 ** _On the inside,_**

 ** _And the damage_**

 ** _Makes you want to hide..._** " I started thinking about what I was singing. It reminded me of Rhea, but also when Blake ran away and Weiss' words to her. It was strange, like the song was written for them...

" ** _I know that it seems pointless,_**

 ** _I know that it feels fake,_**

 ** _I know you can't stand the thought of_**

 ** _Being stray_**

 ** _One more day..._** " Rhea was starting to settle down. I smiled, glad that I had managed to do something right. I could help her.

" ** _Dry your eyes now, baby..._**

 ** _Broken wings won't hold you down._**

 ** _You'll take flight soon, baby..._**

 ** _You'll be lifted up,_**

 ** _And you'll be there..._** " I continued running my hand through Rhea's hair as she finally fell into a deep, if troubled, sleep. I went over and laid down in my bed, watching over my sister as I let myself get a little sleep.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

In the morning, Rhea was pretty hung-over but acting more like her normal self than she had the night before.

She had no memory of my singing, but that was fine by me. She'd either be REALLY embarrassed or tease me to no end.

"Ugh..." Rhea hunched over a toilet, me patting her back. "I am never touching alcohol ever again." I laughed as I pat her on the back again.

"Eh, I don't know. Have you tried the _Strawberry Sunrise_ s?" I smirked as Rhea groaned, then frowned. "You were talking about keeping your head foggy." Rhea nodded.

"I thought that if I kept my mind blurry enough, I could keep the hallucinations away and keep myself from becoming violent."

"Solid plan." I deadpanned. "But you know, there are medications for that... This is exactly why they should pass a law to keep kids from drinking. Who ever thought that seventeen should be the age when you're allowed to drink?"

"I know, right? I was thinking that they should boost it up to twenty-one, or something higher."

"Why twenty-one?"

"Don't know. It just feels right..." Rhea sat up and looked at me. "Do you think I could get meds to keep me from hallucinating, at least until the visions go away?"

"Yeah, but I want to be in charge of regulating them." I crossed my arms. "You aren't exactly stable right now, sis." Rhea gave a weak laugh.

"Really? I had no idea." She commented. I pulled her to her feet, and she shook the dizziness off. I suddenly had a thought and frowned.

"What were you seeing?" I asked. "When you were hallucinating?" Rhea sighed, looking down.

"Most of the time, nothing. I was just hearing things. I heard screams of pain, accusations: all of them from people I care about. And when I did see things... It was somebody who had been screaming, injured and covered in blood, so angry with me. They'd attack me, then just vanish."

"And... The violent fits?"

"It was like my body was on autopilot." My sister clenched her fists. "I couldn't stop myself, no matter how hard I tried, not until the last second... I nearly killed Adam, Blake, and that boy. Blake and Adam were just trying to help me. And you, Junior, Melanie, and Miltia-" I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We all know it wasn't your fault, Rhea." I gave a small smile, then smirked. "You beat the Hell out of Adam, right?" Hey, he may have been a more-or-less good-guy now, but I still hoped that Rhea had MAJORLY kicked his ass.

"Hell, yeah." Rhea smiled deviously. "He should have known better than to mess with my sister... Not that he knew you were my sister. He probably wouldn't have hurt you if he knew." I raised and eyebrow, confused.

"Why?"

"Uh... Heh..." Rhea rubbed the back of her neck, smiling nervously. "Right... Yang, we have a lot to-"

"Don't say it!" I glared, pointing at my younger sister accusingly. "Don't you dare say it!" Rhea blinked a few times, surprised, then smirked.

"... WE HAVE A LOT TO TALK ABOUT!"

"I HATE YOU!"

"I KNOW!"

 ** _/\_**

Rhea and I sat down at the table in our room, and she told me all about her past with Adam. How she saved his life, their friendship, his betrayal, the White Fang's blackmail, and the multiple times they had met and fought.

"... You two never tried to kill each other, did you?" I asked. Rhea shook her head, giving a small laugh.

"If anything, we disguised meeting and catching up with a fight. It was like we knew that we should have been enemies, yet we weren't ready to let go of the past we shared... But in our last two encounters, when you lost your arm and while I was spying, I did go for the kill. I was so angry..." Rhea looked down. I placed a hand on her shoulder, a pit in my stomach.

I was starting to piece together what had happened to Rhea's mind, to her stability and her sanity.

Caught in the stress of killing someone again, being sent into forced isolation, betraying the trust of those she cared about, running for her life from her enemies, and coping with the fact that one of her closest friends had harmed two of her teammates and finally became a true enemy, Rhea had been unable to keep it together.

So, in theory, if I helped her get over killing Cinder, brought her out of isolation, convinced her that none of us were mad at her, assured her that she was safe, and allowed her to somewhat-reunite with Adam, she would return to her normal Rhea-self.

It would require a lot of effort from me and the others, along with effort that Rhea wasn't mentally or (honestly) physically strong enough for, yet. So, the first thing to do would be for me to get Rhea home and restore her physically. Dad would be able to help for sure.

While she was being restored physically, I could take care of the Cinder-killing thing, the isolation thing, and the safety thing. It wouldn't be too hard, right?

But the question was: was it safe for Rhea to go back to normal-normal? Normal-Rhea would be in constant danger of slipping again, of being manipulated by Raven again, so this could be my one chance to snap her out of Raven's control for good.

"Okay, Rhea." I smiled. "I think it's time we get you home. Dad's really worried." Rhea looked up at me. "We all are." I noticed the mask at her belt. "First things first: we destroy that."

"No." Rhea shook her head. "Yang, I think I need to keep it. I'm supposed to keep it." I glared, shaking my head.

"We're destroying that thing, Rhea. You aren't going to become Mom, right? You wanted to be your own person, find out who you really are." My grip on her shoulder tightened slightly. "It's time for you to step out of Raven Branwen's shadow. You're not just a Branwen, after all. You're also a Xiao-Long, just like I'm both a Xiao-Long and a Branwen... We've both got Raven's dark and Taiyang's light inside of us. We just need to know when to let each out."

"I'm mostly dark, you're mostly light. I guess that makes us..." Rhea gave a small smirk. "Yin and _Yang_?" I laughed and hugged my sister.

"There's the Xiao-Long blood! Bad puns are our trademark!"

"And personal-space is the Branwen trademark." Rhea pulled away, then pulled out her mask and looked down at it. I noticed her left eye twitching, then both eyes narrowed into a deadly calm, turning a glowing-red.

Icy must curled off of Rhea's hair, and she focused. Ice coated the Grimm-mask, and she calmed down as she held it up next to her face in one hand.

A smile broke across both of our faces as she clenched her fist, the mask shattering into hundreds of tiny shards.

"That's my girl." I beamed, crossing my arms. Rhea nodded, placing her hands on her hips.

"I can't help anyone go after the Grimm Queen as a deranged psychopath, now can I?"

"Wait..." I frowned, eyes widening. "That's not the crazy talking? There's really a Grimm Queen?" Rhea nodded, crossing her arms.

"Yeah. I spied on some of Cinder's minions over in Mistral, and they mentioned some Salem behind all of this. Apparently, Emerald's going to be the new Cinder, and they're trying to hunt down the Summer Maiden... I did some research, finding that both Salem and the Summer Maiden come from old fairytales, and I made some connections. Cinder Fall was the Fall Maiden, and the light that went from her to Pyrrha was the power. When one of these Maidens die, the one in their final thoughts gets the power. And Salem was the one who Cinder worked for... Yang, they're trying to end the world."

"What?! Why?!"

"Salem is the source and master of all Grimm, and in the fairytales, only one man and his disciples, his guardians, could stop her from destroying humanity. I think Ozpin and his students, the Huntsmen and Huntresses, are those warriors. The most powerful among the warriors were the _Silver-Eyed Warriors_... Everything is connected, Yang. Salem's killing Maidens and giving her supporters their power, she's hiring corrupt organizations and people to cause chaos to make the Grimm stronger, and Ozpin's missing. We're looking at an apocalypse unless we can stop her, unless Ruby can learn to control her power and end this."

" _Ruby_?" I asked, stunned. "Ruby's the only one who can end this?" Rhea gave a slight smirk.

"Blake apparently didn't tell you everything... Branwens and Roses have been connected, working side-by-side, for centuries." Rhea raised her hand in an almost arm-wrestle position. "It's time to kick some ass for our baby sister." I smirked and raised my hand, grabbing hers.

"Don't mess with Branwens?"

"Don't mess with Branwens... Let's go home."

 ** _Well... Yang found Rhea and will bring her home, but will Yang and Taiyang be able to snap her out of it? Will Rhea finally step out of her mother's shadow? I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	25. My Little Dragons (Taiyang)

I heard several knocks on my door, and I walked over and opened it to see two faces I didn't expect.

"Hey, Dad." Yang and Rhea greeted in sync, looking exhausted as they supported each other. I quickly ushered my daughters inside, hugging both of them tightly.

"I'm so glad to see you safe." I smiled, then pulled away and looked Rhea over carefully. Yang held up a large bottle of pills.

"A friend of mine in Vale got her some medicine to help with the hallucinations and fits." She admitted. "They're working pretty well, and they should help until we get Rhea's head back on straight... We need to give her a Raven-detox. It's time to wake up the Xiao-Long half." I smiled, crossing my arms.

"Well... You've come to the right place. If there's one thing you need to know about Xiao-Longs, it's that we're stubborn assholes. We're gonna fix your head or die trying."

"Joy." Rhea forced a smile. "Where do we begin?" Yang punched Rhea's arm, smirking deviously.

"New outfit."

"Wait, what?"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

After a good night of rest, I waited outside Yang's door, arms crossed and rolling my eyes as I heard my twin-daughters arguing.

"I am NOT wearing that!"

"Hey, Xiao-Longs show skin!"

"Yes, but I am not becoming a _walking/talking perv-magnet_ like you!"

"Hey, I'll try something new if you try something new. I'll try to be a little bit more... Modest. Okay?"

"... Fine. But that's WAY too Xiao-Long for me."

"Okay, okay... I don't own a lot of blue and black stuff, okay? Brown, orange, and yellow are my things."

"I know... What about that?" The sounds of hangers moving around. "That, that, and maybe this?"

"Hmm... Try it on. Let's see."

 ** _/\_**

When my daughters finally emerged from the room, I was surprised by both of their outfits.

Yang was dressed in black leggings, her normal brown boots, orange socks, and purple bandana overlapping. Over that, she wore a brown leather jacket with her old yellow shirt and orange scarf. Her old brown belt with the brown and white fans was at her waist, and her _EmberCelica_ were on her wrists, a black fingerless-glove on her real hand. Her hair was back in its normal style, and Yang smiled brightly, placing her hands on her hips and looking more like herself than she had in months.

Rhea wore something... A lot like Yang's outfit, actually. She was also wearing black jeans, along with black boots (less bulky than Yang's with narrower tips) that went up to her thighs and had silver tips and laces going all the way up. Dark-blue socks rose up over the boot's like Yang's orange ones, and a light-blue bandanna adorned her left leg. Above that, she wore a dark-blue shirt designed just like Yang's, having added her emblem (a black bird in flight) in a mirror-reflection of where Yang had hers. Over the shirt she wore a black-denim jacket, black fingerless-gloves and her silver _FrostBite_ on her hands/wrists. At her waist was her belt and the sheath for _SilverWing_ , the dark-blue panel with her emblem branching out with the black, winglike-fan. Her hair fell in its usual, feathery shape. Rhea raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, looking down at the outfit.

"I'm still not sure about this."

"You look fine!" Yang assured. "Less like Mom, more like me! The transformation is beginning!"

"... At least Sun won't make fun of my skirt-length, anymore."

"He did what?" I glared. Rhea tensed up, and I sighed. "It's a start. Now... What's something else that Rhea does that's too much like her mother?" Yang look at me, expression serious.

"... I think we need to play _Remnant: the Game_."

"Uh..." Rhea laughed nervously. "That isn't such a great idea, Yang." I raised an eyebrow, and Yang nudged Rhea, smirking. "... I get really into it, okay? I can't help it."

"That's the least of our concerns." I waved it off. "You use those swords a lot, don't you?" Rhea slowly nodded. "You have gauntlets, too?" Rhea nodded again. "Your mother's idea?" Rhea surprisingly shook her head.

"They were mine... I used to think I was really good at punching things, but Mom insisted upon me learning how to wield swords."

"Figures, Raven trying to stamp that part of your genetics out..." I rolled my eyes, smiling. "It's time to teach you how to fight like a Xiao-Long."

 ** _/\_**

We stood in the backyard training-field, and I held _SilverWing_ hostage, leaving Rhea only her _FrostBite_ to defend herself as Yang got into a fighting-stance, smirking.

"Um..." Rhea raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Yang nodded excitedly, smiling.

"Sure! We just have to wake up those old instincts!" She activated _EmberCelica_ and slammed her fists together. Rhea hesitated, then did the same with her gauntlets.

Both of my daughters got into fighting stances, and while Yang's was more relaxed, Rhea's had the stiffness of a swordsman.

"Relax!" I shouted to her. "Think like a Xiao-Long! It's all a game!" Rhea shot a glare at me.

"But it's not! This is serious!"

"Just go with the flow!" Yang grinned. "Go on instinct! Play the game!" Yang charged, Rhea dodging and activating her gauntlets, glaring. Yang turned back and gestured for her to smile.

Rhea growled and charged as Yang did, the girls meeting head-on and fighting hand-to-hand. Rhea was still fighting seriously, and the dark-twin was surprised as Yang laughed and managed to knock her back.

"How?!"

"Just go with it!" Yang smiled. "Fight like I do! Wake up the inner Xiao-Long!" Rhea glared at her.

"What if there is no _inner Xiao-Long_?! I'm hardwired like a Branwen!"

Her eyes were turning red, and I noticed something strange. The blue fumes rising from her hair weren't an icy mist. What the Hell..?

"Well, break the hardwire!" Yang marched up and shoved Rhea back, the older twin's eyes glowing red and hair igniting, the younger twin falling as her eyes turned blood red. "Because if you don't, if you don't take the weight of the world off you shoulders, you will go insane! And if that happens, you will probably die! Do you want to die, Rhea?!"

"No!" Rhea stood, gripping the sides of her head before trying to calm herself down. Yang punched her shoulder and sent her skidding back.

"Then, snap out of it!" Yang snarled. "You want to know the only reason why I'm not as crazy as you?!" Rhea's eyes were starting to glow as she became angrier and angrier, but Yang was in no way finished with her. "It's because, whether you've realized it or not, I've balanced both sides of myself!"

Rhea's glowing eyes widened as Yang was wrapped in a cloak of spinning golden, white, and brown feathers. A falcon flew into the air, looking like a completely normal bird except for its right wing, which had some feathers that shone like gold, signifying the synthetic arm. The falcon flew around the sky above the field, letting out a piercing cry before landing in front of Rhea, changing back into a calm Yang.

"You..?" Rhea stared. Yang nodded, eyes glowing red again as she reared a fist back, determined.

"Now, it's your turn." Yang threw the punch, only for a hand to catch it. Rhea looked up, eyes glowing a brilliant red as blue and black fire tipped with gold curled off her hair, and she smirked before rearing her own punch back and knocking Yang across the yard.

Yang got up as Rhea laughed and charged, both of them meeting head-on and fighting hand to hand. Rhea's moves were more instinctual and reflexive that calculated, the girls mirror images as the fought.

I smiled as this happened, crossing my arms and beaming. I knew I was right in manipulating the choosing of my daughters' names.

Yang Niǎo Xiao-Long.

Rhea Yin Branwen.

My little birds, my little dragons... Raven would never take any of them away from me, ever again.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

When the girls finished sparring (a tie, of course), they were completely exhausted. I guess fighting for four solid hours does that to a person. Man, were my kids competitive...

Yang decided that the next thing that should be fixed about Rhea was her appetite because apparently, she ate like a bird.

I'll wait a moment for you to laugh at that amazing joke, curtesy of the one and only Taiyang Xiao-Long.

"Come on!" Yang urged her twin as we sat down at dinner. "You may be fast, but you need to build up some muscle! What were you and Mom living on?!"

"Well, we were living in the wilderness most of the time, so we lived on whatever we could find. Game-animals, berries, wild plants. Once, during a drought, I convinced myself to try dry leaves and tree-bark." Rhea noticed us staring and raised an eyebrow, looking confused by our shock. "What?"

"Yeah, you need some steak." Yang started loading her sister's plate, genuinely concerned. "Mashed-potatoes with gravy, corn, a roll or two, and anything else you can think of! Have you really never tried any of this stuff until Beacon?!"

"... Mom would get me noodles on my birthday." Rhea shrugged. I face-palmed, shaking my head and taking mental-notes of everything. Qrow was not going to be happy about this.

I could tell that he was growing to like the dark-haired girl, which meant that he would soon be as protective over Rhea as he was over Yang and Ruby. Which was really protective.

 ** _/\_**

Later that night, while Rhea and Yang stayed in Yang's room (sleeping in a poorly crafted bunk-bed), I passed by the room and...

"Yang?" I heard Rhea ask, and I peered into the room to see her looking at her twin as they stood beside the beds. "I... I need to write some letters. I want to let everyone know that I'm okay, and that I'm so, so sorry."

"They aren't mad at you, Rhea." Yang sighed, shaking her head. "They know you weren't yourself."

"... That doesn't mean that I shouldn't apologize." Rhea bowed her head. "I... Said some thing I shouldn't have. I scared and hurt so many people I care about. Even if I wasn't myself, I remember. I remember what I said and did, their faces... I need to say sorry." Yang slowly smiled.

"How many envelopes do you need?"

"Four."

"Who for?"

"Ruby and JNPR, Weiss, Blake and Adam, and SSSN and Brice."

"Of course."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 _Ruby's silver eyes teared up as she looked down at the blue envelope, quickly opening it and drawing a blue slip of paper as Team JNPR gathered around her, eyes wide._

 _' **Hey guys,**_

 _ **Yeah... I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that I'm not as crazy as we thought, and the bad news is that you're all stuck with me. I'm baaaack... Did you miss me?**_

 _ **I'm with Yang and Dad on Patch, and I'm on some meds that prevent the crazy from coming out, so I should be good. No more murderous rampages and hallucinations for me...**_

 _ **I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have let my emotions control me, I shouldn't have listened to Raven, I should have run away, and I shouldn't have let myself sink to the level I did. I'm sorry for all that I said and did, and I know that you will never forgive me, but that's not going to make me any less sorry.**_

 _ **So, I'm being rehabilitated, and when I'm better, you can bet your sorry asses that Yang and I will be out there fighting alongside you.**_

 _ **Hopefully, I can at least attempt to make up for everything I've done. I miss you Ruby, Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha. Stay safe.**_

 _ **Oh, and... If my baby sister gets hurt, Team JNPR, I will rip your spines out and beat you with them. Then, I'll break your legs.**_

 _ **See you soon,**_

 _ **Rhea Branwen.** '_

 _"She's okay." Ruby whispered, tears racing down her face in streams. Pyrrha frowned, taking the letter._

 _"She thinks we're angry with her?" The Amazon asked. "She wasn't in her right mind. Of course we aren't mad." Jaune nodded, crossing his arms._

 _"Well... I am a little mad about the whole **slapping-me-across-the-face-and-screaming-at-me** thing, but I think she was in her right mind when she did that, and I was being an  idiot."_

 _"She told me to kill her if she got out of control." Nora admitted, then sighed in relief. "I'm glad she's okay." Ren nodded in agreement._

 _"She certainly sounds better."_

 ** _/\_**

 _Weiss stared at the blue envelope, a small smile slowly crossing her face as she tore it open with a letter-opener and drew a blue slip of paper._

 _' **Hey Weiss,**_

 _ **So... I guess I sorta became the new** Ice Queen **, huh? I left without saying goodbye, and I'm sorry.**_

 _ **I'm sorry for everything. All the shit I've given you, all of the things I've said. You didn't deserve it, just like I don't deserve your forgiveness or your friendship.**_

 _ **I'm safe, I'm with my Dad and Yang, and I'm getting treatment for my violent fits and hallucinations. I think I'll be alright, just as long as Yang and Dad stop trying to teach me how to be a Xiao-Long.**_

 _ **Right... I kinda light on fire, now. It's a long story.**_

 _ **I hope you're alright, and I can't wait for the day when Team RWBBY gets back together and kicks some ass, ending this for good.**_

 _ **Your teammate and hopefully still your friend,**_

 _ **Rhea Branwen.** '_

 _Weiss raised a hand and wiped a tear away, beaming._

 _"Y-you complete dunce..."_

 ** _/\_**

 _Blake and Adam smiled as Blake tore the envelope open, Adam quickly grabbing the paper from his ex-partner._

 _' **Hey guys,**_

 _ **I'm so, so sorry. I can't believe what I did. I tried to kill you. My teammate and close friend, and arguably one of my best friends. I'm still pissed at you, Adam.**_

 _ **I don't know what came over me. I don't know what was wrong, but the good news is that Yang found me and snapped me back. I'm on meds that'll keep me stable, and I think I'm going to be alright.**_

 _ **I'm sorry. For everything I said and did, for scaring you (admit it, Adam), and for everything else.**_

 _ **Adam, I shouldn't have done what I did. I'll never forgive you for hurting Yang and Blake and betraying me when we were young, but you're trying to be better. Maybe someday, with luck, we can have another one of our encounters where I kick your ass for fun, not to kill you.**_

 _ **Be safe, and keep doing what you're doing. It might just be one small part of the White Fang that's changing, but every little bit helps. I'm so proud of both of you.**_

 _ **See you soon,**_

 _ **Rhea Branwen.** '_

 _Adam and Blake exchanged glances._

 _"Looks like she's back." Blake grinned. Her companion shook his head, actually looking happy._

 _"No, it's not just that... She's finally stepped out of Raven's shadow." Adam smiled. "That's the girl who saved my life. That's the real Rhea Branwen."_

 ** _/\_**

 _Sun's eyes widened as he opened the blue envelope, pulling out two slips of paper: one yellow and one blue. He hid the yellow as his teammates and Brice peered down at the blue one._

 _' **Hey guys,**_

 _ **I am such a bitch. I really am. I'm so, so sorry for everything that happened in the forest.**_

 _ **Sun, Neptune, Sage, Scarlet: I was cruel, I said some things that I shouldn't have, I ran, and I'm sorry. I mean, you guys are some of my best friends. I shouldn't have treated you like that, crazy or no.**_

 _ **Brice, I tried to kill you. You were going through so much, and what did I do? I got angry and tried to stab you (which is what you wanted at the time, but I still feel bad). I hope you can forgive me now that you're in recovery.**_

 _ **By the way... You're not the only one in recovery. Yang managed to hunt me down and bring me back to Patch, and I'm on some medication that's preventing the violent fits and the hallucinations until I've recovered. I'm also having a Raven-detox, trying to balance the Xiao-Long side of me, so the next time you see me, I might be a bit different. In a good way. A really, really good way.**_

 _ **I know you might never forgive me for what I've done, but that won't make me any less sorry.**_

 _ **I hope to fight alongside you again soon,**_

 _ **Rhea Brawen.** '_

 _"YES!" Neptune cheered. "She's back and she's ready to kick some ass!" As Sage, Scarlet, Brice, and Neptune talked, Sun walked away from them and opened the yellow slip of paper._

 _' **Sun,**_

 _ **I can't believe all the effort you went through to try to snap me out of that madness, to try and get me to come back. Now that I have a clear head, I see that you were right and you were only trying to help.**_

 _ **I'm sorry. I was low, and I was cruel, and you didn't deserve my attitude or those things I said. You're one of my best friends, and I treated you like dirt.**_

 _ **But you still tried. I don't know if you're stubborn or just as crazy as I am, but I saw you trying to find me even after I left. I worry, you know? I kept tabs on everyone, and I saw your efforts... I don't deserve a friend like you.**_

 _ **Hopefully, the next time we see each other, I'll be a different girl. I'll be what I always wanted: my own person, free from Raven's influence and free to be who I am. Whoever that is. I have no idea, but my hair lights on fire when I'm really angry, now. If I'm just angry, it's ice, but you get the picture. I'm changing.**_

 _ **That won't stop me from kicking your ass the next time we spar, just so you know. I still want a rematch for the tournament fiasco. One where, hopefully, neither of us go crazy and tries to kill the other person. That would be bad. I don't want to guilt-trip you, but getting shot sucked.**_

 _ **Be careful, Sun. Be safe. Don't do anything really stupid and get yourself killed. I might just have to bring you back to life and kill you again... I guess that's me worrying, again.**_

 _ **Hopefully still your friend,**_

 _ **Rhea Branwen.**_

 _ **P.S: Blake's fine, just in case you wanted to know. She's hiding out with her old partner, Adam Taurus, while he restores his sector of the White Fang to the old ways of dignity and diplomacy. If you want to find them for any reason, they're all hiding in some redwood forest in southern Mistral.** '_

 _Sun smiled, only for Neptune to smirk over ha shoulder and snatch the letter, laughing as he read it, Sun fighting to get it back from his partner._

 _"Oooh... Looks like Blake's hanging out with her ex-boyfriend." Neptune smiled deviously. "But at least you've got a backup-girl!"_

 _Sun glared venomously at his partner, turning slightly red as his teammates laughed at him._

 _"Rhea's just a friend! And Adam's just Blake's friend! And I would never think of Rhea as a backup-girl!"_

 _"Just keep telling yourself that, buddy! She might think of you as a friend, but that smile told me all I need to know about your end of it!"_

 _"SHUT UP!"_

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I smiled, shaking my head and crossing my arms as Rhea wrote her letters.

Slowly but surely, we were teaching her how to be a normal teenager, and a real Xiao-Long.

 ** _Well, Rhea's trying her best to snap back into sanity. But will it last? I only own my OC. ghost83 owns Brice. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**

 ** _By the way, according to Google Translate,_** ** _Niǎo means  bird in Chinese. I don't really trust Google Translate, so I apologize to anyone who knows what really it means. I hope it's not an insult or anything like that._**


	26. Ultimatum (Rhea)

_"Traitor!"_

 _"Liar!"_

 _"Murderer!"_

 _"Witch!"_

 ** _/\_**

I woke up with a start, covered in a cold sweat, my breathing ragged as I looked around the room wildly.

"I'm sorry..." I hugged my knees to my chest. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I-" A warm, yellow light spilled across the dark room, and I looked up to see the door to the hallway open.

Dad stood there, arms crossed and shaking his head, sighing as he looked at me with pity.

"Another nightmare?" He asked. How did he know I was having nightmares? I slowly nodded, and Dad gestured with his head, frowning. "Come on."

"O-okay." I slowly got up and walked over, and Dad led me down the hallway and out the front door, then he sat down on the porch.

I slowly sat down next to him, and we gazed up at the moon for a few moments, our auras protecting us from the cold earmy-spring night.

"What happened?" Dad finally asked. "I mean... What did you see?" I bowed my head, looking at the lIghed snow.

"I saw my friends, my family, and... They were hurt, they were covered in blood, and they were angry at me. They blamed me, saying that I shouldn't have run and that their suffering was my fault. They called me terrible things, and... I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I couldn't apologize to them, and-" I flinched as Dad wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He looked down at me, blue eyes filled with concern, pity, and sorrow.

"Rhea, you have nothing to be sorry for. All of this was your mother's doing, not yours... I have a feeling that if Raven had never taken you, you would have been fine with me. No one would have ever come after you, and you would have been safe from her enemies. Raven's dangerous, she's in her own little war against the world, and she just dragged you down with her."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I think she had something against Ozpin, and when Qrow started working with him... Look, there's a lot you don't know. But people who work with and for Ozpin usually get hurt. Raven was against Qrow working with him from the beginning, and she was bound and determined to never have a thing to do with Oz ever again. I'm surprised that she sent you to Beacon, but Raven never does anything without reason."

"Yeah..."

"... You really had to eat dry leaves and tree-bark?"

"Yeah. Not fun." We both let out laughs, and I hugged my knees to my chest, gazing at the moon. "You know... I grew up with the stories of Team STRQ, but I never knew you were my dad. This is actually pretty neat."

"Really? How did Raven describe each of us to you?"

"Well... She said that Summer Rose was a natural-born leader with loads of self-confidence issues, and she loved chocolate and cookies and strawberries more than life itself. She said that Summer was an amazing fighter, and that Summer was one of the bravest people she ever met... Ruby is a lot like her."

"Yeah, she is..."

"She described you as (probably) the strongest person on the team, besides her. She said that, as long as your temper didn't get the best of you, you couldn't be beat. She also said that you were also the most protective, and you were the best person to go to if you needed advice or help, as long as it had nothing to do with romance."

"Damn it, Raven... And, how did she describe Qrow?"

"She said that Qrow was her stupid, drunk twin brother who really needs to stop flirting with girls who can and will beat the living Hell out of him." We both burst out laughing, not noticing Yang peeking out the window and smiling.

"Well, that's accurate!"

"I guess so!" I suddenly had a feeling of certain, oncoming doom. "... Don't tell him I said that."

"Lips are sealed." We both calmed down, and Dad smiled. "You know, it's like I'm a dad all over again. Having you back, I mean."

"It's definitely a big change." I admitted. "I never thought I'd have a dad. Or sisters, or an uncle, or friends... It's honestly really nice."

"I bet. Raven can be a little... Strict."

"Overbearing."

"Terrifying."

"Critical."

"Short-tempered."

"..."

"... Touché."

"Well, when I was little, it wasn't too bad." I sighed, shaking my head. "Sure, she was training me to fight and we were always running, but she was everything a mother was supposed to be. Kind, compassionate, caring. Even though she threw me off a cliff so I could learn how to fly..." I looked up as Dad glared, and I laughed nervously and continued. "Then, after we were betrayed by a friend, she sort of lost it. It all became training, and running, and surviving. And she was always scared of something, even if she didn't admit it, looking around she expected an ambush at any moment."

"Who betrayed you?"

"Adam Taurus. Mom taught the both of us to fight, together. He was supposed to use the White Fang to unite humanity and the Faunus... I'm glad that he's finally turned his life around, but I will never forgive him for hurting Yang."

"He was the one who..?"

"Yeah."

"Huh..." Dad shook out of it. "So... I hear that you were the one who put and end to Cinder Fall." I flinched slightly, then took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?"

"... Even though Mom taught me to, and on occasion forced me to, I never liked the idea of taking a life. I always avoided it if I could, but there are times when I get so angry... I almost killed Adam for hurting Yang and Blake, and I killed Cinder for trying to kill Pyrrha." I looked down. "But that wasn't the worst part of it." We didn't see Yang's eyes narrowed as she listened in on us.

"What was it?"

"Pyrrha saw me... And Ruby saw me." I closed my eyes. "Their faces... They thought I was a monster, because I was so used to it. I was so used to killing, and they were so afraid... I just feel like I failed everyone that night."

"You didn't fail anyone, Rhea. You can't blame yourself."

"God, you sound just like Sun." I rolled my eyes, annoyed. It went silent for a moment, then...

"What is it with Branwens and blonde boys?" I thought I heard Dad mutter. I raised an eyebrow.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Dad."

"Nothing!"

"... Tell me, now."

"Fine! ... I don't like the look of that Sun kid, okay? You two are a little too... Close."

"What?! Dad, Sun's just a friend! And he likes Blake! Not me! ... Don't know why he's got a thing for dark, mysterious, dangerous, book-loving girls who become over-obsessed with their completing their goals and-" I paused, frowning. "Okay, I know what I just said, but Sun is totally Blake's bitch. End of story."

"Uh-huh. Yep."

"Oh, shut up!"

"Okay. Totally Blake's bitch. Definitely why he was the first one to panic and start yelling for help when you passed out in the hospital."

"DAD!"

"Hey, I'm just trying make sure. Don't want to have to rip his spine out and beat him with it too nicely or too meanly."

"Leave him alone!"

"He hurt you!"

"While being manipulated by Emerald Sustrai! He would never hurt me, Dad! Sun is one of my best friends! You should have seen how hard he tried to get me to come home! I mean, he was still looking for me even after the _Brice Incident_! What kind of person does that?!"

"Uh-huh..." Dad crossed his arms, shaking his head. "Rhea, I'm sorry. This is all just really familiar."

"Familiar?"

"... This Sun kid is constantly reminding me of myself, and how you two were while you were running reminds me WAY too much of myself and your mother... The Branwen girl runs away, leaving the flirty blonde guy behind."

"Dad..." I glared up at the moon. "I'm not Mom. If anything, I've recently devoted most of my time and effort to try and get away from her."

"I know. But you're still so much like your mother."

"I know... But like you said, I didn't inherit everything from Mom. I definitely got my red-eyed blue/icy Super Saiyan, my blue eyes, and my REALLY bad puns from you, Dad."

We both laughed, then there was a bright flash and we looked back to see Yang with her scroll, smirking.

"Just capturing this dad-daughter bonding moment." She announced, smiling as she walked over and sat by Dad's other side. Dad smiled and wrapped his other arm around her, and we looked up at the night sky.

I smiled softly as I looked up at the two, knowing that I had made the right choice in coming home with Yang. I jolted at a realization.

Home. I called this place _home_. I never really had a home before Beacon, before Team RWBBY, my friends, and and my sisters. And now, this cabin on Patch was my home.

Home was a place where I was safe, where there were people who cared about me and I about them. I never knew what I had been missing from my life because of Raven, and now... I was just glad to be home.

But the job wasn't done. My teammates, friends, uncle, and little sister were scattered across Remnant. I would have to get strong and sane again, then go out and make sure that we would all make it home.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

The next morning, I was helping Dad and Yang make breakfast, then...

 _"Why did you leave me, Rhea? I thought you were my sister. I thought I was your **Fearless Leader**."_

I tensed up, pausing my actions.

 _"We trusted you! I thought you were my friend!"_

My hands started shaking, my eyes widening.

 _"You chose Adam over us! How could you?!"_

The plate fell from my hands, my family turning to me.

 _"YOU ABANDONED ME!"_

"I'M SORRY!" I clamped my hands over my ears and fell to my knees. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-!" Yang kneeled and hugged me, Dad right behind her. "W-why won't they go away?!"

"It's alright." Yang promised, making soft _shh_ noises as she rocked me back and forth. "You're okay, Rhea. Let's just get you some of your medicine." My dad held out a glass of water and two pills. I shakily reached out and took the pills, stuffing them into my mouth and taking the glass, drinking it and swallowing. "There, that's better. Right?"

"R-right." I nodded, closing my eyes. "I was so scared that I'd see someone else. I don't want to see anyone hurt..." Yang nodded, stroking my hair.

"I know, I know. It's okay, Rhea. No one's hurt. We're all fine. You're going to be okay, too. Just calm down."

I started focusing on my breathing and heart-rate, trying to slow them down. It was okay. I was safe. It would be alright. I just had to remain calm.

"I..." I looked up, taking a deep breath. "I'm okay." Yang nodded, standing and pulling me to my feet. "I think I've lost my appetite."

 ** _/\_**

A few hours later, I stood outside, gazing out at the early spring sky and thinking things over. My fists clenched at my sides and I bit my lower-lip as I came up with an ultimatum.

"Rhea?" A voice asked. I turned around to see my sister. "Rhea, we need to-" I raised a hand to stop her.

"Yang..." I sighed, shaking my head and crossing my arms. "I don't think this is working. This whole _inner Xiao-Long_ thing has rocked my world, and I honestly think my hallucinations haven't gotten any better."

"But they haven't gotten any worse, either!" Yang protested. "Rhea, this will work! You just have to-!" I turned to Yang, frowning.

"I want _SilverWing_ back." I stated. "And I want you to give me a chance." Yang frowned, then sighed, shaking her head before looking up.

"Alright... But Rhea, I thought you were trying to shut her out."

"Shutting her out isn't balance." I gave a small smile. "And after all, the name isn't Rhea _Xiao-Long_. It's Rhea **Branwen**... I'm not wild, crazy, or flirty, Yang. Not even without Mom's influence. I'm not built for punching, I'm not social, I don't eat nearly as much as you do, and I'm... I'm not you, Yang."

"I wasn't trying to-" Yang's eyes widened as I hugged her. "Rhea, I wasn't trying to make you me. I just... I just thought that if Raven was shut out-"

"Yang, she may have a shitty way of showing it, but she's still Mom." I pulled away. "Everything I know, everything I have, even meeting you after all these years: I owe it to her... We're _Yin_ and _Yang_ , Yang. You're supposed to be the wild, flirty, party-animal tomboy. I'm supposed to be the quiet, honestly terrifying, cryptic bitch."

"But, you'll go crazy-!"

"I didn't go crazy because of Mom. I didn't go crazy because of anything she taught me. I went crazy because of guilt, stress, fear, and isolation. I went crazy because I had to live every moment feeling helpless to help any of you. I went crazy because I was trying too hard to be like Mom... After all, she gave me a choice."

"No, she didn't! She guilt-tripped you, she intimidated you, she-!"

"That's just how Mom is. She was testing my resolve... She told me where to find her when I made my choice. That was her telling me that no matter what, she'd always be there if I needed her. She told me that if I stayed, we'd all be in danger due to my presence. That was her asking if I had enough confidence in myself to believe I could protect you... She gave me a choice, and I made the wrong one. I didn't believe in myself, I didn't believe in you and the others, and I didn't believe in Mom. And I'm sorry for that."

"So... You drove yourself crazy?"

"Yep. Mental-suicide at its finest, right up there with snorting Dust." I crossed my arms and smiled. "So, let's stop this madness and actually drive me sane, okay?"

"I guess so, but-"

"Give me my sword, or I will slit your throat in your sleep." I glared, pointing at Yang threateningly. Yang stared at me with wide eyes, then laughed and hugged me tightly, crushing my ribs.

"RHEA!"

"Dying..!"

 ** _RHEA'S BACK! WOOOO-HOOOOOO! It's ass-kicking time, curtesy of the RWBBY Twins! Whoooooo..! I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	27. Back in the Game (Yang)

Rhea's condition... Improved. It improved a lot, actually. She developed her own fighting-style, combining use of her gauntlets and swords in battle like no one could ever have imagined, and I slowly saw a personality form.

Sure, she was still the same sarcastic, dark, cryptic bitch of a sister that I had come to love, but a lot changed over the course of two months. Eventually, she was laughing more often and naturally, she was cracking jokes and puns, and she was more relaxed.

But that didn't mean that she was at Nora/Ruby/me-level of peppiness. She still would just give a small smile at some things, and her face was still often set in neutral or deadpan, but progress was progress.

When the hallucinations stopped and stayed gone for a week, and the nightmares were far less frequent, we knew it was time.

 ** _/\_**

Rhea and I walked into the kitchen, bags packed and slung over our shoulders, our minds made up.

"We're going to find Ruby." I announced, and Dad looked up at us with wide eyes, stunned. The toast fell out of his mouth. "And Weiss, and Blake, and Team JNPR-"

"And maybe Team CFVY, Team SSSN, and Brice." Rhea added. "Plus, anyone else we know who's willing to help us bring Salem down." I looked over at Rhea, not noticing Dad's troubled expression at the Grimm Queen's name. "She's real, Yang!" I smirked, crossing my arms and giving a sly wink.

"That's not what I'm thinking about." I started whistling _You Are My Sunshine_ , and Rhea deadpanned. " _You never know, dear, how much I'll beat him if he takes your innocence away!_ "

"I HATE YOU!" Rhea stamped her foot and clenched her fists, glaring at me. I just laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Kidding, kidding! I won't beat him, I'll kill him if the thought even enters his head! I will rip his spine out and beat him to death with it!"

"YANG!"

"Rhea, Yang, it's dangerous-"

"Exactly why we have to go and make sure that Ruby and the others don't get hurt." I crossed my arms. "We're going, Dad. You can't stop us." Dad sighed, looking down and shaking his head.

"Rhea, are you sure that you're ready for this?" He asked, looking up at Rhea. "I mean, are you sure that you're-?" Rhea raised a hand to stop him, smiled, and nodded.

"I'm ready." She promised, then stole a piece of bacon. "God, this stuff is so much better than tree-bark!" Rhea took a bite, and I shook my head.

"No wonder you're so skinny."

"We're the same size, _Perv-Magnet_."

"... Not everywhere."

"I hate you!"

"No, you don't!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

With that, Rhea and I went on the road, using _Bumblebee_ to compact days of Team JNPRR's journey into hours. But they were still months ahead of us, and we had no clear idea of where they were going, except...

"Qrow said the ones behind this were heading to Haven." I admitted as Rhea and I sat by a fire, camping out in a cave with _Bumblebee_ blocking the entrance. Rhea tried her very best to hide her wide eyes, looking away.

"Oh... Right... Of course!"

"That means that if we somehow get there first, we're spending some quality time with Team SSSNN."

"Uh-huh..."

"... Rhea?"

"Hmm?"

"If I catch you doing anything that I don't like with Sun-"

"Yang, I don't like Sun like that! And even if I did, which I don't, he's got a thing for Blake! It's not happening! WE ARE JUST FRIENDS!"

"Hey, hey!" I raised my hands in surrender, eyes wide as Rhea's eyes tinted purple in her burst of rage. "Calm down! I was just joking!"

"Heh. Right..." Rhea calmed down, giving a nervous laugh. "Joking... Funny..." I raised an eyebrow, watching her movements carefully and calculating.

Rhea, as far as anyone knew, had never been in a romantic relationship. Before Beacon, her only close personal relationship with a non-familial someone of the male gender (or any gender) had ended badly.

So, if Rhea did feel romantic feelings for someone, they were completely new and unnatural-feeling, making them easy to deny. Plus, she was under outside pressure to deny her feelings. Dad, Ruby, and I were people who she thought would oppose any romantic relationship, and she was worried about her feelings hurting Blake.

Then, there was the fear of repeating history. This situation was not unlike the story of Team STRQ. The blonde playboy who liked to cause trouble and expose his abs, and the dark-haired swordswoman with an overprotective older-twin. She'd already run away and hurt him once, even donning a Grimm-mask. Maybe some small part of her thought she'd do it again, hurt him again.

Then, there was Sun himself. Back in Vale, Sun had devoted a lot of his spare time to chasing after Blake, but at the same time: he managed to forge a strong relationship with Rhea that not a lot of people could comprehend.

Sun was able to get us all a glimpse of Rhea's socially-awkward side when he convinced her to dance with him at the school-dance, he made Rhea smile and laugh, and he cared about her. From what Weiss told me, after I lost my arm to Adam, it was Sun who comforted Rhea when she broke down.

Rhea in turn let Sun see through her usual façade, she often looked after him when they were entering dangerous situations, and she literally took a bullet for him. It was obvious that she liked and cared for him, a lot. But were those feelings romantic or not?

"Rhea." I looked up at my twin. "Do you have feelings for Sun?" Rhea blinked a few times in surprise, then raised her hands and shook her head.

"No, no. God, no."

"Because, if you did... I would support you." I admitted. Rhea's eyes widened. "I mean, if you did something I didn't like, I'd snap Sun's neck, but I know he'd never hurt you. He's a nice guy." Rhea stared at me, then shook out of it.

"You don't have anything to worry about, Yang. I just don't see myself in a romantic relationship any time soon. In this messed-up world, it's kinda pointless, isn't it? Any day now, we could die or change or... Or go crazy."

"Rhea-"

"I'll take first watch." Rhea gave a tired smile. "Get some rest." I nodded and curled up in my sleeping-bag. "By the way, I totally don't ship WiseDragon." I looked up, raising an eyebrow.

" _WiseDragon_? What's that?"

"Don't worry about it." Rhea gave a small smirk, leaning against the cave wall. "For now... I'll tell you when it happens." I laid down, frowning as I closed my eyes and tried to figure it out.

/\

When I woke up for my shift later that night, I smirked and looked over at Rhea, crossing my arms as she laid down on her sleeping bag.

"I've come up with some ship-names for you and Sun!" I teased. Rhea raised an eyebrow. "First is _BlueMonkey_. Get it? It's 'cause you wear blue and he's..." Rhea deadpanned. "Yeah, well the next one is _Phoenix_ 'cause he's Sun and the sun's on fire and you change into a bird." Rhea rolled her eyes. "Next is _SunWen_ , which is a mix of _Sun_ and _Branwen_." Rhea looked like she wanted to shoot herself. "The next one is my personal favorite-"

"If I tell you who the other person in WiseDragon is, will you shut up?!" Rhea finally demanded, sitting up. I smiled deviously, nodding in agreement. Rhea sighed, shaking her head. "It's Sage, okay?"

"... Wait, what?"

"Sage! He's totally got a thing for you!"

"No, he doesn't..."

 ** _/\_**

 _Sun smiled, he and Neptune walking over to us with two new guys. They must have been the other two members of Team... SSUN?_

 _"Okay..." I raised an eyebrow. "Who's Saturn and who's Uranus?" Sun and Neptune laughed as their teammates deadpanned, the taller of the two shaking out of it and extending a hand. Wow, he was tall..._

 _"Sage." He corrected, giving a light smirk as I made an oh motion with my mouth from the realization. "And what might your name be, little lady?"_

 _"Oh, um... I'm Yang."_

 _In the background, my teammates covered their hands to stifle laughter, Ruby actually letting out a snort and making a quiet remark..._

 _" **Little lady**?"_

 ** _/\_**

"Um... Yang?" Rhea asked, frowning as I slowly sunk into my own mind. "Are you okay?" I didn't reply. I was in the middle of a second early-life crisis. "You didn't notice?"

"No, I didn't!" I stared at Rhea, stunned. No wonder she was so addicted to betting on shipping! She saw everything before anyone else did! "Anything else I should know?!"

"Arkos."

"Got it."

"Renora."

"Yep."

"ArcticSea?"

"Huh?"

"Neptune and Weiss."

"Ship it. Go on."

"Taurudonna."

"... What?"

"Definitely saw some old chemistry while I was facing off with Blake and Adam." Rhea commented. I crossed my arms and glared, unhappy.

"He stabbed her and cut my arm off! I don't care if he's reformed and an old friend of yours! He's a bastard, and if he touches Blake-!"

"Hey, Sun attacked me and shot me and people still ship us together! Nobody's perfect."

"How much have you bet on it? HOW MUCH?!"

"The same amount I've bet on everything else. Two-hundred lien."

"Who are you betting with?!"

"Well, pretty much everyone who opposes the ship's I've listed."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone. So many Bumblebee and BlackSun shippers..."

" _Bumblebee_? What's Bumblebee?"

"Don't ask, just don't... Just file it in your brain next to WhiteRose, Monochrome, and FreezerBurn."

"What are those?"

"God, you're out of the loop... Just don't ask. But if I die, it was someone who ships those."

"You bet against them?"

"Eh. I like thinking outside the box when it comes to shipping. I shipped FireLilies for a while, after all."

" _FireLilies_?"

"Don't ask."

"Will you stop saying that?!"

"Sure. 'Night, Yang!" Rhea laid down and fell asleep, and I rolled my eyes and sighed. Seriously, how does someone fall asleep that fast.

"... Sage totally doesn't have a thing for me. Right? ... Right."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

We woke up in the morning and kept moving, and in a week or so due to a shortcut Rhea knew from her travels, we arrived in Mistral.

"Uh-huh..." Rhea looked around at all the fashion-stores as we drove through the capital city. "I can definitely see how Neptune and Scarlet came from here." I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. But how did this kingdom manage to give us Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha?" I asked, confused. Rhea and I exchanged glances and shrugged.

"So, how do we know if the others have arrived here?" Rhea asked. "And if they haven't, how do we find Team SSSNN?" I shook my head as we came to a red-light, unsure.

"Don't know. I guess Haven's classes are still in session."

"Right. Didn't some teams and students from Beacon transfer here after they were sure that Vale was stabilized?"

"Yep. I heard that Team CFVY and Team CRDL came here."

"... You're kidding about Team CRDL, right?"

"No." I looked over my shoulder as Rhea looked down, her hair falling and hiding her eyes. "Why?" Rhea slowly smirked, cracking her knuckles.

"Good thing that I brought my ass-kicking boots."

"All of your boots are your _ass-kicking boots_."

"True."

"And, in case they weren't, you brought your entire original combat-outfit."

"So did you!"

"Old habits die hard!"

"Uh-huh..."

"... Touché."

Suddenly, a familiar alarm went off, and people in the streets panicked and rushed indoors. Rhea and I exchanged wide-eyed glances.

 _ **:** Attention! All available Huntsmen and Huntresses to the west wall! There has been a breach! Grimm-attack: threat level six! **:**_

"Level six?" I gave a light smirk, Rhea nodding and smiling deviously as we both got the same crazy idea. "At least try to challenge us!"

With a roar of _Bumblebee_ 's engine, Rhea and I raced off to the wall that formed the city's defenses, laughing madly as we prepared our weapons.

We were back in the game.

 ** _They're back~... Woo-hooo! I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	28. RWBBY Chibi 2!

In a space of pure blinding-white, an ombré yellow word with pink outlines fell out of the sky. _Chibi_. It was followed by a pink _Scatter_ -symbol with blue outlines falling to the _Chibi_ 's side. Finally, a big white _RWBBY_ with blue outlines landed right on top of the _Chibi_.

Team RWB(B)Y popped up all around the words and symbol. Ruby waved from next to _Scatter_ , Weiss stood on top of _Scatter_ , Blake rested her head on her hands from on top of the WB of _RWBBY_ , and Yang leaned on the Y.

A black bird landed in the Y and changed into Rhea in a puff of feathers, and she crossed her arms and smirked as she sat there.

 _"RWBBY CHIBI!"_

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 _ **Over a light-teal background, a black bird flew down and changed into Rhea, who landed in a crouch before smirking and standing, drawing her ice-blade and charging, swiping at the screen.**_

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Rhea hummed quietly as she walked down a sidewalk in downtown Vale, keeping a hand on the hilt of her sword as she always did, seeming as overly-alert as usual. Then, Rhea deadpanned as she looked up and saw a black bird, a raven, watching her carefully from a lamppost.

"You know, for someone who really wants their daughter to go out and experience things for herself, you're really bad at staying out of the way." Rhea commented. The bird gave her the evil-eye. "I don't see you smothering Yang like this." The bird seemed to smirk. "... What did you do?"

 ** _/\_**

Yang scowled as a black bird, a crow, sat next to her on a bench in Beacon's courtyard.

"Stupid Mom, making stupid Qrow watch out for me, not coming to see me her-stupid-self. It's just stupid."

 ** _/\_**

Rhea sighed, shaking her head.

"Really?" Rhea asked as the raven let out a snicker-like sound. "At least Ruby doesn't have to put up with this shit."

 ** _/\_**

Ruby and Brice sat on Weiss' bed in the Team RWBBY dorm, talking.

"Then, if we laser-induce the plasma-"

"And we place the generator in the base-"

"WE CAN MAKE REAL LIGHT-SABERS!" The two cheered, laughing. As he calmed down and let his lungs recover from the laughter, Brice placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder for support.

Two glowing-red eyes opened under the bed, something growling. Brice's wolf-ears twitched.

"Did you hear that?"

"Huh?"

"I thought I heard... Nevermind."

 ** _/\_**

Brice walked down a hallway, and as he turned a corner, he was grabbed by the collar and slammed into the wall. Taiyang Xiao-Long poked Brice's chest with the hand that wasn't holding the wolf-boy, livid.

"You touch one hair on my baby girl's head, and I will hunt you down and I will end you." Taiyang announced, his eyes glowing a hate-filled red. "Got it?" Brice nodded shakily, and Taiyand dropped him. "Good. Now, I have to go and-" Tai cracked his knuckles, chuckling darkly. " _Discuss_ things with that Sun kid."

 ** _/\_**

Rhea raised an eyebrow.

"I just got a really, really bad feeling..."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 _ **Brice popped up on a dark-green background and smirked, looking around mischievously before the screen went up in bubbles.**_

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Ruby and Brice walked up from opposite ends of a dark alleyway and met in the center, looking around to confirm that they were alone before whispering.

"Got the blueprints?" Ruby asked. Brice nodded.

"Got the snacks?" The wolf-Faunus replied. Ruby nodded and handed him a tray of her homemade cookies. Brice handed her the blueprints for some sort of cookie-generator.

"... Again, where did you even find this?" Ruby asked. Brice looked up, frowning as he went into deep thought.

 ** _/\_**

Brice walked around the same alleyway, looking up as Neo merrily skipped up to him before coming to an abrupt stop. Both of them nodded to each other, then Brice handed Neo a set of keys labeled _Ice-Cream Factory_. Neo, in turn, handed him the blueprints for the cookie-generator.

' _Thank you!_ ' Neo smiled happily, holding the sign up. Brice smiled back, giving a curt nod.

"You're welcome."

 ** _/\_**

Brice shrugged, smirking deviously.

"I know a gal."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 _ **Over a light-blue background, Weiss and Rhea walked through from opposite sides of the screen. Rhea smirked, then held out several lien cards.**_

 _ **"Two-hundred on Renora, two-hundred on Arkos, two-hundred on WiseDragon, two-hundred on-"**_

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Rhea stood between two janitor's closets in a hallway, smirking as she placed her hands on her hips and looked between the two with an air of mischievousness and deviousness, along with the diabolical-intent of a classic super-villain.

"Nobody leaves the closets until my ships become reality!"

"Rhea!" Jaune pounded on the door of the right closet. "You know I can't stand the dark! Let Pyrrha and I out of here!" Rhea rolled her eyes and mockingly mouthed his every word with her lips and her hand.

"Let Nora and I out of here now, Rhea!" Ren demanded. "I think I would know if she had feelings for me!"

 ** _/\_**

Inside Ren and Nora's closet, Nora started slamming her head against the wall in the darkness as Ren continued to try and break down the door. Ren paused and raised an eyebrow, confused but not looking back,

"Nora, what's that thudding?"

 ** _/\_**

In the darkness of Jaune and Pyrrha's closet, Jaune suddenly perked up, his face filled with alarm.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked worriedly. "What is it?"

"It's as if millions of people in another universe suddenly cried out in disgust."

"Um..?"

 ** _/\_**

Rhea deadpanned and face-palmed, then dragged a wooden chair out from behind her and sat down, crossing her arms and getting comfortable as her smirk returned.

"I can wait here all night."

"... I have to go to the bathroom?" Pyrrha tried the oldest trick in the book. Rhea sighed, shaking her head and opening a _Camp Camp_ comic.

"Confess your undying love for Jaune, then we'll talk."

"... I'll hold it."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 _ **Rhea and Yang charged at each other from opposite ends of a split blue/red screen, yelling battlecires as they reared fists back and their punches connected, the screen shattering.**_

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Rhea and Yang walked down a sidewalk, Rhea looking at Yang.

"So, what was it like growing up with a dad, an uncle, and a sister?" Rhea asked. Yang beamed, placing her hands on her hips.

"It was awesome! When he wasn't in a slump, Dad was always really involved and supportive! Qrow was always a source of good advice! And I got to baby Ruby!" Yang replied. "And when Summer Rose was still around, I had a mom, too! Baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters! ... What was it like, growing up with Raven and Adam?"

Rhea raised an eyebrow, avoiding eye-contact and humming in thought.

"Hmmm..."

 ** _/\_**

In a forest, a younger Rhea and Adam yelled battlecires and charged, slashing their blades and beginning to spar. A portal appeared above them, Raven leaping out and slashing her blade, she and Adam fighting against Rhea, two vs. one.

Rhea kept up for a little while, but her eyes slowly began to widen as she was overwhelmed by the two older swords-wielders. The girl managed to disarm Adam, but Raven kicked her in the stomach and sent her daughter flying back. Rhea slammed into a boulder, hitting her head, then she fell to the ground on her face.

"Well..." Raven sheathed her sword, smiling. "Wasn't that a good birthday present? I went easy on you!" Rhea let out a small noise of pain. "Happy thirteenth birthday, Rhea!" Raven's smile fell as Rhea didn't reply, and she raised an eyebrow. "Rhea?" Raven looked over at Adam as he walked over to stand by her side. "She's breathing, right?"

Adam shrugged, not really caring.

"More tent for me."

 ** _/\_**

Back with Rhea and Yang, Rhea shook out of her memories.

"It was..." Rhea hesitated, then shrugged and forced a smile. "Nice?"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 _ **Sun whistled as he crossed a yellow oblivion, Rhea standing at the other end, oblivious to him walking over. Sun noticed her and waved, smiling.**_

 _ **"Hey, Rhea!"**_

 _ **"Ah!" Rhea jumped up in surprise and turned into a bird, flying away. Sun raised an eyebrow.**_

 _ **"What was that all about?"**_

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Yang smirked as she sat with her teammates, Team JNPR, Brice, Sun, and Neptune in a circle on the floor of the Team RWBBY dorm.

" _ **Would You Rather?** : Huntsmen and Huntresses Edition_!" She began excitedly. "Where you actually have to complete your _Would You Rather?_ task! ... Hey, Rhea!" Rhea crossed her arms and deadpanned.

"What?"

"Would you rather confess if you're crushing on someone (even just a little bit) and who you're crushing on in front of the person, or go fight a Grimm Dragon alone?"

"I..." Rhea's eyes widened, and they briefly flitted to look at an oblivious Sun, then she looked back at Yang and took a deep breath. "I'll be back." Rhea stood and started walking away.

"Rhea, where are you going?" Ruby asked, looking fairly confused. Rhea briefly looked back.

"To fight a Grimm Dragon." She replied coldly, and Yang's jaw dropped. Brice stood and stopped Rhea.

"Just want to clarify a loophole: she said you had to fight it alone. She said nothing about you getting help BEFORE you fight it alone." He smirked. Rhea's eyes widened, then she smiled deviously.

"What do you have for me?" She asked, and Brice pulled something out. It was an arm-cannon.

"Made this with Ruby. Fires green plasma that homes in on the Grimm. We rigged it so the more older and bigger it is, the more quickly it spreads and permanently kills the Grimm."

"Wait..." Rhea raised an eyebrow. "What's the catch?"

"After five shots, it explodes after fifteen seconds." Brice admitted. Rhea hesitated, then shrugged and took the cannon, smiling.

"Thanks, Brice." She gave a nod. Bruce shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Pay me back in five shipping boxes of strawberry-flavored _Pocky_." He stated. The black-haired RWBBY Twin looked over at Sun again, along with a smirking Yang, then looked back at Brice.

"Done."

After Rhea left, Brice dropped his smile and walked over to Sun, kneeling and whispering something into the confused monkey-Faunus' ear.

"You're Rhea's crush. If anyone asks, Yang told you."

 ** _/\_**

A few hours later, Rhea returned looking beat-up but proud, smirking at a stunned Yang as she held up a large, slowly-dissolving fang. Sun slowly walked up to the girl, and...

"Yang told me that you have a crush on me. Please tell me she's wrong, while being truthful." He pleaded. Rhea's complexion paled greatly, her fists clenching at her sides, and she saw Yang smirking in the background. Rhea's eyes flashed red, then she looked at Sun.

"Look, Sun, you know Yang. Always making up crazy little rumors or making things out to be bigger than they are." The girl tried. Sun hadn't gotten the information from Yang, so he knew something was off. That, and Rhea's fists were trembling.

"Your hands are shaking."

"Are they? I hardly noticed. Maybe that's because I JUST KILLED A GRIMM DRAGON!"

"Are you okay?"

"No, not really." Rhea replied as everyone watched her, amused. "Like I said: Grimm Dragon. Stressful."

"Rhea." Brice smirked. "You either had to fight a Grimm Dragon or confess your feelings to your crush. For posterity's sake, would you mind telling us who you were so desperate to hide your feelings from?" Sun nodded in agreement. Rhea looked between Sun and Brice, then her eyes flashed red, and she glared.

"BRICE, YOU BACKSTABBING SON OF A B-! Rhea's eyes widened as she realized that she was only confirming everything she had been accused of. "Um, I think I'm gonna go..." Sun nodded, his grey eyes wide.

"Yeah..." They both tried to leave in the same direction, and the others laughed at them. Rhea turned and pushed Sun back toward the circle.

"Different directions."

"R-right, right."

As the two walked off, Brice turned to Yang expectantly.

"My payment?" He asked. Yang grinned and handed him a dark-blue book with silver designs. A diary, Rhea's by the look of it.

"Worth it."

 ** _/\_**

Brice caught up to Rhea and grabbed her shoulder, the girl turning around as the boy held the book out.

"Yang enlisted my services on order to force you to admit your feelings." He shoved the diary into her hands. "Send the boxes of _Pocky_ at your own time! ... By the way, I read the whole thing. Cover to cover. That... That was some dark shit." Rhea looked down at the diary, her left eye twitching.

"I'm really tempted to go crazy again, right now." She muttered, then smirked. "Oh, Brice..!" Rhea's eyes flashed red as she punched Brice in the face, sending him flying. "THAT'S FOR READING MY JOURNAL!"

With that, Rhea turned and stormed off.

 ** _/\_**

Meanwhile, Sun looked at Team RWB(B)Y, Team JNPR, and his teammates.

"Brice and Yang were kidding, right? I mean, Rhea doesn't actually like me, right?" As his companions face-palmed, Brice crashed into the wall next to Sun, letting out a groan of pain. He had crashed through several walls before arriving an coming to this sudden stop.

"Nope..." He replied. "Ruby, Bro: some help here?" Ruby and Neptune helped the boy to his feet, Neptune raising an eyebrow.

"What happened?"

"I told Rhea that I read her diary."

"Really?" Ruby asked, immediately becoming interested in this development. "She has a diary? What was in it?"

"Mostly stuff about being confused about emotions while at Beacon that she never felt before, and the last few were mostly her being afraid while she was slowly going crazy."

Everyone went silent in the wake of such words.

"... Well." Yang broke the silence. "That got dark."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 ** _BLEEEP!_**

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

" _This is the way we want to spend every day,_

 _Laughing with our friends and keeping sadness away!_

 _Join us and see, we can be happy and free!_

 _Life is full of fun because we're all chi-bi!_ "

 _ **Well... I did it, again. I made another RWBBY Chibi! What did you think of this one? Most of the credit for the second and last skit goes to one of my more helpful readers,** ghost83 **: the creator of Brice E. Null. He's been communicating with me for the last few months and helping me come up with ideas.**_

 ** _If you have any ideas for Chibi-skits for this or any of my other stories, or just ideas for the story in general, please let me know. I would love to get more feedback and ideas from you._**

 ** _As for how this story will continue due to Raven's recent revelations, I have many ideas. Trust me, this isn't going to stop me. If anything, it'll help me create even more PLOT TWISTS! YAY!_**

 ** _I only own my OC! ghost83 owns Brice! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**

 ** _..._**

 **PS: _I'm sorry for the lack of updates. School's kinda rough, this year. I'm doing my best, but hey: I'm only human._** ** _*evil chuckle*_** ** _As far as you know..._**

 **Also, to Guest00: _*smirk* Will this "note" suffice? *laugh*_**


	29. RWBBY Chibi 3!

In a space of pure blinding-white, an ombré yellow word with pink outlines fell out of the sky. _Chibi_. It was followed by a pink _Scatter_ -symbol with blue outlines falling to the _Chibi_ 's side. Finally, a big white _RWBBY_ with blue outlines landed right on top of the _Chibi_.

Team RWB(B)Y popped up all around the words and symbol. Ruby waved from next to _Scatter_ , Weiss stood on top of _Scatter_ , Blake rested her head on her hands from on top of the WB of _RWBBY_ , and Yang leaned on the Y.

A black bird landed in the Y and changed into Rhea in a puff of feathers, and she crossed her arms and smirked as she sat there.

 _"RWBBY CHIBI!"_

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

 _ **A bird flew from one side of a red screen, landing and changing (with puffs of black feathers) into Qrow Branwen. In the same instant, a red portal opened with Raven Branwen leaping out and drawing her crimson blade.**_

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Qrow and Raven walked through the forest, in awkward silence until...

"So." Raven spoke up. "What all has Rhea accomplished since I sent her to Beacon?"

"The tyke's strong, that's for sure." Qrow admitted, looking at his sister. "She's fought off invasions, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath, and a Maiden. **And** she's survived a gunshot to the abdomen."

"Tch." Raven scoffed, crossing her arms. "Child's play. Don't you remember our first year?" Qrow pulled out his flask and waved it in front of Raven's face.

"I do my best not to."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

 ** _Rhea looked_ _around a yellow oblivion nervously, then sighed in relief and smiled, bowing her head and closing her eyes. She didn't notice Sun walking over and waving._**

 _ **"Hey, Rhea!"**_

 _ **"GAH!" Rhea jumped, then turned red as she looked back, closed her eyes, and smiled in embarrassment, waving. "H-hey, Sun..."**_

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Team RWBBY, Team JNPR, Sun, Brice, and Neptune sat in a circle. Rhea smiled deviously.

"Ice Queen: truth or dare?" She asked, sounding like she had a plan. Weiss crossed her arms, smirked, and acted like she feared nothing.

"Dare!" The heiress replied, unafraid. Rhea whispered something in Weiss' ear. Weiss' eyes widened. "What?!" Rhea pointed at Neptune.

"Go." She ordered, smirking. Neptune raised an eyebrow.

"What did she say?" He asked, confused. Weiss stiffly turned to him.

"Sorry." She apologized, then she grabbed Neptune by the collar and kissed him. In the background, Blake and Yang slapped lien into Rhea and Brice's waiting hands, the former two scowling as the Rhea smirked deviously. Weiss pulled away, and Neptune's eyes were wide

"Whoa..." He said in a daze. Weiss blushed and turned to Rhea, glaring.

"Time for revenge, you crazy brute!" She shouted, livid. Rhea looked up, having been filing her nails into claws, and she deadpanned.

"Too soon, Ice Queen."

"Truth or dare?!"

"I'm not afraid of you, Ice Queen." Rhea crossed her arms, defiant. "Dare!" Weiss smirked and placed her hands on her hips, triumphant.

"I dare you to-"

"Completely shave your own head, along with Yang's!" Brice interjected, smiling madly. Everyone looked at him in shock.

"Yeah, that!" Weiss blurted out, then realized what she said and recoiled in horror. "Wait, what?!" Everyone turned to Brice, again.

Ruby did the sign of the cross, Team JNPR beginning to pray. Sun and Neptune hugged each other, terrified. Weiss looked ready to pass out.

"What?" Brice asked, confused. "It's just hair. Ether way, the Ice Queen has dared, so you must do as she says." Fire began to rise off of Yang's hair, Rhea's eyes turning red. Weiss panicked.

"I change my mind!" She announced, trying to save herself from a world of agony. "I'm not suicidal!"

"Hey, you agreed by saying ' _yeah, that_ ', so therefore it's the dare." Brice was stubborn, but he slowly looked at the twins, wondering what could have driven the others to such fear. "However, in this game, you either back out or play. So, what'll be?" The twins glared at him, their semblances fully activating. Brice freaked out. "Weiss! Ten seconds before it becomes the dare! Ten!"

"Rhea!" Weiss blurted out. "I dare you to make out with Sun!" Everyone slowly looked at Sun, and Rhea's eyes widened in dismay.

"Wait, what?" Sun asked, confused. Then, his eyes widened. "God, no! It's _Would You Rather..?_ all over again!" Rhea weighed her options.

"... How about a compromise?" She finally relented. Brice raised an eyebrow, confused.

"What kind of compromise?" He asked, frowning. Rhea took a deep breath, then grabbed a pair of scissors. All eyes widened, especially Brice and Weiss', and Weiss reached out.

"Wait, what are you-?!" It was too late. The dark swordswoman closed her eyes and chopped her hair to shoulder-length, Yang and Ruby actually screaming. Then, Rhea grabbed Sun by the collar and pulled him into a brief kiss. Everyone stared as Rhea pulled away, Sun's eyes wide. Weiss let out a small squeak. "That'll do."

"What just happened..?" Sun fainted, and Rhea crossed her arms, blushing and rolling her eyes.

"Moron." She muttered, looking more embarrassed than anyone could have thought possible. Brice slowly clapped, eyes wide.

"Rhea, as a reward, I'll have a dare." He looked at Neptune. "Quick: use a defibrillator on Sun." The blue-haired boy slowly nodded, not the only member of Team SSSN to be the victim of a dare. "Well, _Birdy_? Give me a dare."

Rhea glared, then slowly smirked, giving a dark chuckle. Ruby actually scooted back from fear.

"That's never a good sign."

"Looks like we're all taking a little vacation to Mistral." Rhea jabbed Brice in the chest with her finger. "I dare you to go and tell your parents you're not dead." Brice's eyes widened, then he passed out. Nora waved it off.

"I'll handle this one." Nora stuck a fork in a socket to charge up, rubbed her hands together to channel pink lightning, then raised hands over Brice's chest, cackling maniacally. "CLEAR!"

"Actually, Rhea, we did, but..." Neptune began, then looked over as Brice was revived. "Um... It turns out they make Yang's overprotective hugs look like a toddler's pinky-promise." Brice gave a thousand-yard stare.

"Too much force... I almost died from a neck snap and crushed rib-cage... And that was just Dad..." He mumbled. Rhea looked over at Yang.

"Right... Okay, then I dare you to-" All of the sudden, Sun gasped and sat up, revived.

"What happened?!" The monkey-Faunus asked. He slowly looked over at Rhea, who blinked a few times in surprise before blushing.

"On second thought, Brice: I'll letcha off the hook on one condition."

"What?"

"... Cover my escape!" Rhea turned into a bird and flew out the window. Sun moved to run after her.

"Rhea, wait-!" He was blocked when Brice stepped in the way. "Brice, move!" The boy shook his head.

"Nope! A deal's a deal!"

"Fifty Lien to get out of my way."

"Deal." Brice held his hand out. Sun rolled his eyes, handed the boy the lien, then jumped out the window. Brice waited for a moment, then... "He's gone." Rhea opened the closet, sighing in relief. Then, she raised an eyebrow.

"Are you betraying Sun?"

"Technically, I'm not. I moved out of the way... And truth be told, Yang's grin combined with your glances gave your crush away."

"... You are a monster."

" _Monster_? Nah, I'm a ghost." Brice smiled innocently before laughing. Rhea rolled her eyes.

"Sometimes, I forget that you're Ruby's age."

* * *

Several hours later...

"So, Blake?" Brice began, smiling deviously. "Truth or dare?" Blake looked like she didn't care.

"Dare."

"I dare you to read a _Ninjas of Love_ book out loud in front of all of us." He challenged. Rhea's right eye twitched, and she growled.

"Blake..."

"Rhea?!" Blake got worried as everyone scooted away. "What's wrong?! Are you going crazy, again?!"

" _Ninjas of Love_?" Rhea asked as both eyes twitched. "You mean to say that you're the one who gave Ruby the idea to read those books?" Ruby shrunk down as Yang grew angry, and Brice scooted back, whistling innocently. Rhea and Yang cracked their knuckles, and Blake gulped.

"Look, I-"

"YOU CORRUPTED OUR BABY SISTER!" The twins snarled, their semblances activating. Rhea's eyes briefly widened as Sun fell through the window, a complete wreck and collapsing from exhaustion, instantly falling unconscious. Brice sighed, unfazed by all of this.

"Have you SEEN Ruby's internet history?" He asked, annoyed. Ruby blushed feverishly.

"Um... I've kinda made _Seamonkeys_ my OTP." She admitted, Rhea's jaw dropping in astonishment. Yang and Blake seemed to understand, as well. Neptune raised an eyebrow, just as confused as Weiss and Team JNPR.

" _Seamonkeys_? What's that?" He asked, crossing his arms. Rhea simply glared, cracking her knuckles.

"Not happening, unless it's over my cold dead body." She noticed everyone staring at her, and her eyes flitted to Sun. "Well, he can't hear me while he's unconscious, can he?"

"... So if Sun's the _monkeys_ , who is the _sea_?" Neptune asked, trying to piece it together. Blake face-palmed.

"Don't ask. And Rhea, Yang: I-" Blake paused as the twins activated their semblances. "She stole my book, okay?! But I didn't buy her any books! Someone else would have had to!" The twins slowly looked at Brice.

"Uh-oh." The boy cringed. Ruby scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

"I got curious about the series because of Blake and paid Brice to get me some books." She admitted. Brice scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Some?" He asked. "More like the entire collection." Brice realized the danger he had just placed himself in as the twins growled. "Oh no."

"THAT'S IT!" Yang snarled. "Brice and Blake corrupted my baby sister, Ruby's internet history could make a nun faint, and Rhea had to kiss a boy?! YOU'VE FORCED ME TO DO THIS!" Yang raised scroll, dialing and raising it to her ear, pissed off. "Dad?! Qrow?! I need backup, ASAP!"

 _ **:** What is it? **:**_ The voice of Taiyang asked on the other end. Yang glared up at the others as she spoke.

"Ruby's been corrupted by Brice and Blake, and Brice and Weiss made Rhea kiss a boy!"

 _ **:**... What boy? **:**_

"Sun."

 _ **:** SON OF A-! UNBELIEVEABLE, I-! ... I'LL BE THERE IN THIRTY MINUTES! **:**_

 _ **:** Oh, great... **:**_ Qrow sighed. _**:** Well, I guess I better come and kick some ass, too. Be there in thirty. **:**_ Yang smirked, lowering her scroll as Blake, Weiss, and Brice's eyes widened.

"Run."

Rhea looked down at Sun, then kicked his unconscious body under a bed and pulled the comforter and sheets down over the space to hide him.

Brice vanished, leaving an ice-sculpture of himself in his place.

* * *

The real Brice was on Beacon's rooftop, being held over the edge by his ankle by a scarily-calm Raven Branwen, rage evident in her red eyes.

"We were playing the cruelest game of them all: _Truth or Dare_." Brice finally admitted. Raven's eyebrow twitched, her eyes narrowing.

"And?"

"Ruby admitted to reading _Ninjas of Love_ , Rhea cut her hair and kissed Sun." Brice replied casually, Raven growing angrier, knowing he was at fault. "You know, the usual."

"And you're not afraid of death?"

"You're talking to someone who still has a crazy side that craves death. If you want, I'll drown myself in lava. Not to mention you're also talking to someone who's died before."

"Yes, but I promise that I will make it excruciating." Raven hissed. "You made Rhea, my little bird, cut her lovely hair and kiss a boy?! She's never kissed a boy!" At this, Brice raised an eyebrow.

"That was her first kiss?" He asked, surprised. Raven's hateful red eyes seemed to burn. "Okay, okay! I see why you're pissed! But while I take the blame for the hair, the kissing was Weiss' idea!"

"I'm aware of Rhea forcing her to kiss a boy, so that is to be expected. I am no stranger to revenge... However, she will have her punishment as well."

"You know, for a violent and controlling psychopath, you're pretty protective over your daughter... Anyway, Sun is being hidden by Rhea."

"Anything else I should know?"

"Sun is a Faunus, a stowaway, a thief, and WAY too childish for his own good." Brice admitted. Raven's left eye twitched as she restrained her rage.

"That's it. Rhea and I need to have a serious talk." Raven looked back as crashes were heard in the distance. A light smirk played across her face. "... Actually, Taiyang and Qrow may just have this handled." Brice shrugged, showing no concern for his friends.

"That might just have been for Weiss and Blake. Sun's either unconscious under a bed, or dead... I'm kinda hoping, for his sake, that he's dead."

* * *

Blake was beaten and unconscious, Weiss looked terrified as she hid behind Yang, everyone else in the room cowered in fear, and...

"WHERE IS HE?!" A livid Taiyang snarled, he and Qrow tearing the room apart. Rhea sat on a bed with her legs hanging over the edge, playing innocent.

"I don't know."

"I'M GOING TO RIP THAT SON-OF-A-BITCH'S SPINE OUT AND BEAT HIM TO DEATH WITH IT!"

"Come on, Dad!" Rhea rolled her eyes. "It was just a kiss! It's not like Yang's never kissed a guy! I doubt that there is anyone in this room who's never kissed anyone el-" Team JNPR looked down. Rhea's left eye twitched, and she muttered darkly under her breath. "Stupid, oblivious, clueless-"

Sun let out a noise of pain from under the bed. Rhea smiled nervously as she lifted a leg and let it fall, kicking. Sun let out another noise of pain, then there was a dull thud.

Taiyang's eyes narrowed dangerously, then he recieved a call on his scroll and picked it up, eyebrow raised as he continued to look at the nervous Rhea with suspicion.

"Hello?"

 _ **:** Hello, I'm Brice. Currently, Raven Branwen is holding me tied up over a volcano while allowing me to use her scroll, and she gave my parents a lot of money and promised to release me in exchange for me giving you Sun's location. Sun is under a bed. Not saying anything else. **:**_ The caller hung up. Taiyang turned to Rhea, glaring.

"Move. Now." He ordered. Rhea acted innocent, raising an eyebrow to feign confusion.

"Why?"

"I know he's under there." Taiyang pointed to the bed, livid. "MOVE!" Rhea quickly pulled Sun out, drew her portal-blade, slashed it, pulled Sun through, and vanished. Taiyang deadpanned, Qrow snickering in the background. "So much like her mother..."

"Payback." Qrow coughed into his hand to disguise the word, his ex-teammate looking back and glaring. After they departed, Blake woke up and weakly looked at the others.

"... Ren? Truth or dare?" She asked. Ren looked at Nora, who looked excited, then sighed.

"Dare."

"I dare you... To give Nora five energy-drinks."

* * *

Twenty Minutes Later

Brice arrived, battered and bruised, to see Vale in chaos. Buildings were burning, the streets were filled with craters, people screamed in the streets, and maniacal laughter could be heard above the destruction.

"Which one of you morons is responsible for this?" Brice asked boredly. Blake slowly raised her hand. "Just to let you know, I think that one energy drink is twenty to Nora." Blake bowed her head in shame, realizing that she may have caused the apocalypse.

Rhea, who had returned to help her friends after Sun woke up, looked over at Brice in confusion.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what happened to you?" She asked. Brice just shrugged.

"Had to fight twenty angry Ursa-Majors without my semblance or weapon. Along with fighting your mom, and she was not holding back."

"You're alive after all of that?" Rhea asked, surprised. Brice nodded, briefly looking somewhat-traumatized before shaking out of it.

"That's not all." He admitted. "Neptune paid me one-thousand lien to say _I hate **Seamonkeys**_ at a concert, in front of thousands of people. I was chased for three miles before I lost them." Rhea raised an eyebrow.

"That many people ship it? They (and the _BlackSun_ shippers) would be pissed if they heard about Weiss daring me to kiss Sun..." Rhea frowned. "Where the heck is that idiot, anyway? And my dad and uncle..?" Rhea's eyes widened. "And my mother's around?! Oh no." Rhea changed into a bird and flew off.

Brice shrugged, then turned around as a cackling Nora stood atop a pile of destroyed cars, her hands on her hips as she gazed down at her friends and teammates.

" _I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!_ "

"... Eh." Brice shrugged. "Seems normal to me." Neptune slowly walked over, still seeming confused.

"... Seriously, who's the _Sea?_ " He asked his brother. Brice sighed, then replied nonchalantly.

"It's you, Bro. Your name is reference to the Roman god _Neptune_ , the god of the sea. Seriously. Some people write fanfics of you and Sun..." Brice made a hand gesture that was blocked from all but Neptune's sight as Ruby ran past, and Neptune passed out.

* * *

Back in the Team RWBBY dorm, Sun was tied up in a chair. Taiyang, Qrow, and surprisingly Raven stood there, arms crossed and glaring as the monkey-Faunus struggled.

"She kissed me, I swear!"

"Listen up, kid." Taiyang glared. "You are going to stay away from my daughter, or I swear that I'll-" Rhea walked up behind the adults, arms crossed and glaring in annoyance.

"HEY!" She snapped. The adults turned around, their eyes wide. Qrow looked at Raven and Taiyang, then at Rhea and Sun, realizing the eerie similarities far too late, his eyes widening.

"Oh, shit. Not again..."

"Let him go." Rhea glared, clenching her fists at her sides as she gazed at her parents and uncle. "It's not his fault."

"RHEA!" Raven marched over and raised a hand to Rhea's chopped hair. "Just look at you! What happened?!" Rhea crossed her arms and sighed.

"Look, my friends have been trying to set Sun and I up for a while. I mean, earlier I was given the choice between fighting a Grimm Dragon or telling him that I had a crush on him, and I fought the Dragon." As Rhea spoke, Sun's eyes widened. "Then, I was given the choice between shaving Yang and I's heads and making out with Sun, so I compromised. I chopped my hair, and I kissed him. He had absolutely nothing to do with any of this." Taiyang glared, still livid.

"One: who dared you?"

"Yang was the confess vs. Grimm Dragon thing, and Weiss and Brice were at fault for the kiss and the hair." Rhea admitted guiltlessly. Taiyang cracked his knuckles, smirking.

"Two: can't we just break his legs?" He asked. Qrow and Raven let out murmurs of agreement, Sun's eyes widened in fear, and Rhea glared.

"No." Rhea smiled deviously. "But you can go do more stuff to Blake, Brice, Weiss, and Yang... I think Yang's going to dare Ruby to kiss Brice." The adults turned and ran off, livid. Rhea sighed in relief, then walked over and untied Sun. "Sorry, about all of this. I shouldn't have kissed you, and I'm still not used to their whole overprotective-thing... Let's get out of here. Unless someone stops her, Nora will start the apocalypse. And the _Seamonkeys_ fangirls are after Brice because of something Neptune made him say." Sun raised an eyebrow.

"Okay..." His eyes widened again. "Rhea, do you really-?" Rhea helped him to his feet, glaring.

"Say another word, and I rip your spine out and beat you to death with it." Rhea turned and walked off. "Let's go and save our idiot friends from themselves, and my psychopathic family."

Sun smiled, shook his head, then ran after her.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

 _ **Adam crossed his arms and rolled his eyes before a red background as a younger Rhea popped up and snapped a picture of the screen.**_

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

In a forest, Rhea giggled as Adam walked over.

"Hey, Adam~!" She greeted. Adam nodded curtly.

"Rhea."

"Whatcha doin'?"

"The same as you: waiting for Raven to return so we may go on our next assignment."

"Uh-huh. Interesting."

"... What have you done?"

"Nothing~..!

"Rhea..."

"Sngggh..!" Rhea barely held back a snort of laughter. Adam's left eyebrow twitched.

"Rhea-" Adam's eyes narrowed as Rhea held up a large red square of fabric. "What is that?"

"Oi, Taurus!" Rhea waved the fabric. "Olé!" Adam growled and drew his sword, charging Rhea and swiping it, only for the girl to dodge and wave the red cape. "Olé!" Adam slashed _Wilt_ , and Rhea dodged again. "OLÉ!" Adam snarled and dropped _Wilt_ , lunging at the girl. Rhea smirked and stepped aside, revealing that she had positioned the cape in front of a tree. Adam hit the tree head first and fell back, having knocked himself out. Rhea laughed, laying the cape over her unconscious friend and snapping her fingers, giggling. "Olé~!"

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

 ** _BLEEEP!_**

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

" _This is the way we want to spend every day,_

 _Laughing with our friends and keeping sadness away!_

 _Join us and see, we can be happy and free!_

 _Life is full of fun because we're all chi-bi!_ ".

* * *

 _ **Well...**_ _ **ghost83 once again contributed and helped me with that second sketch. I know what some of you may be thinking: why are some of my sketches focusing on that ship? Well, when I asked all of you who to ship Rhea with, I received several personal messages asking me to ship her with Sun. No other ships were suggested.**_

 _ **Now, I'm not shipping my fanfic's canon Rhea with anyone, any time soon. But if no other ships are suggested by the time this story starts to draw to a close, I'm simply ensuring that there is some chemistry between these two characters. I'm not becoming one of those authors who just ships two people out of nowhere with no prior chemistry, especially with a story and character so many people seem to enjoy.**_

 ** _I'm not being that guy._**

 _ **So, if you want me to change things and cut this ship off at the roots: speak now. Because I'm simply going with what the vast majority wants...**_

 _ **I'm most likely not splitting up Arkos or Renora. And ArcticSea has kinda grown on me. She won't be into Scarlet. Don't even ask me to ship her with a member of Team CRDL, she hates those guys. And she probably wouldn't be into any villains, or they her since she killed Cinder. And Adam's probably been friend-zoned since day one, which honestly makes me laugh when I think about it. I'm not shipping her with an OC.**_

 _ **HELP ME, PEOPLE! TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT!**_

 _ ***takes deep breath***_

 _ **Sorry. This writing gig is not as easy as it seems...**_

 _ **Though, that skit with Adam and Rhea was pretty easy to imagine. XD**_

 _ **Well, I only own my OC. ghost83 owns Brice. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. **_

_**Thanks!**_


	30. RWBBY Chibi! 4

In a space of pure blinding-white, an ombré yellow word with pink outlines fell out of the sky. _Chibi_. It was followed by a pink _Scatter_ -symbol with blue outlines falling to the _Chibi_ 's side. Finally, a big white _RWBBY_ with blue outlines landed right on top of the _Chibi_.

Team RWB(B)Y popped up all around the words and symbol. Ruby waved from next to _Scatter_ , Weiss stood on top of _Scatter_ , Blake rested her head on her hands from on top of the WB of _RWBBY_ , and Yang leaned on the Y.

A black bird landed in the Y and changed into Rhea in a puff of feathers, and she crossed her arms and smirked as she sat there.

 _"RWBBY CHIBI!"_

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

 _ **Rhea screamed and ran as Blake chased her across a light-grey oblivion.**_

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

A raven sat on a branch in Beacon's courtyard, minding its own business and not noticing a certain black-wearing member of Team RWBBY sitting on the branch above it, licking her lips and ready to pounce.

Suddenly, Blake leapt down, grabbed the raven, and stuffed it into her mouth as the bird shrieked and some feather _poof_ ed before it vanished into Blake's mouth, giving her chipmunk-cheeks.

"Hey, Blake!" Yang walked up to the tree, placing her hands on her hips and frowning. "Have you seen Rhea? She was just here a second ago." Blake's eyes widened, then she spat out the raven as it turned into a disgusted Rhea in mid-air, the girl crashing into the tree before falling into a bush below.

Rhea popped out of the bush, covered in saliva and leaves, deadpanning with her right eye twitching as Blake and Yang stared at her in dismay and horror. The girl slowly looked up at Blake.

"Run."

With that, Blake leapt out of the tree and fled.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

 _ **Neo skipped across a strawberry-pink oblivion.**_

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Rhea and Yang stood in a dark alleyway, facing Neo with crossed arms.

"So." Rhea began. "You can alter you appearence and look however you want to look?" Neo nodded, giving a light smirk.

"We've got a job for you." Yang continued, holding up some lien. "It will only take a day, and you won't have to fight anyone. You just have to alter your appearance to look like me and walk around with us at Beacon." Neo raised an eyebrow, then she held up a sign.

 ** _Why?_**

"Well..." Yang grinned. "You're going to help us with a little tradition of ours."

* * *

Three Yangs stood in Beacon's courtyard, surrounded by a wide-eyed Team RWB(BY), JNPR, and SSSN.

"WHO WANTS TO PLAY THE _WHO'S YANG?_ GAME?!" The three asked in sync, though it seemed as though only two spoke. Ruby's jaw dropped.

"H-how?! HOW?!"

That's when a fourth Yang walked up and placed a hand on her hip, one of the other Yangs snickering as the remaining two stared at the newcomer. The fourth Yang gave a mysterious smirk.

"Is this where the game starts?"

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

 ** _Rhea and Sun walked across a green oblivion, laughing and unaware of Neptune following them, his Junior Detective mustache on._**

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Neptune hid in a bush in Beacon's courtyard, watching Sun and Rhea talking as they stood next to the statue, completely unaware of his presence. Neptune's eyes narrowed, and he began scribbling in his notepad.

"Subjects are talking..." He noted to himself, then he looked up. "Subject A made Subject B laugh. Drawing conclusions... Reporting in to Base." Neptune drew a walkie-talkie from his pocket and raised it. "Command? This is Leviathan, reporting in."

* * *

In the Team RWBBY dorm...

"Reading you, Leviathan." Yang responded. "What have you found?"

* * *

With Neptune...

"Subjects are on a walk, and they're talking." Neptune reported. "Subject B seems strangely cheerful."

* * *

In the Team RWBBY dorm...

"What are they talking about?" Blake asked, revealing that all four of Rhea's teammates were listening. They all say on Blake's bed, Yang sitting on Weiss' with the walkie-talkie.

* * *

With Neptune...

"Hmmm..." Neptune listened in. "They're talking about..." Neptune raised an eyebrow. "Huh."

* * *

In the Team RWBBY dorm...

"What is it?" Ruby asked anxiously. "Are they dating?! Did they _do it_?! IS RHEA PREGNANT?!"

Ruby and Yang screamed bloody-murder as Weiss deadpanned and Blake watched with wide eyes.

* * *

With Neptune...

"Calm down, Command." Neptune shook his head. "They're just talking about their ships at Beacon. Noting them, now..." Neptune listened carefully. "Yep, yep, yep - What the Hell, Rhea?! - yep, yep, yep - Sun, that is a direct violation of the Bro Code!"

* * *

In the Team RWBBY dorm...

"Rhea shipping people is old news." Yang commented, she and Ruby calming. "Have you learned anything new?"

* * *

With Sun and Rhea...

"Ready?" Rhea asked, her eyes briefly flitting back to the plastic cup and string lying on the ground and Neptune's 'hiding spot'. Sun nodded excitedly, the two of them smirking before putting on the expressions of casual smiles.

* * *

With Neptune...

"Shhh! They're talking about ships they've recently bet on." Neptune listened closely. His eyes slowly widened, his jaw dropping, and his Junior Detective mustache falling from his face. "... The Hell?!"

* * *

In the Team RWBBY dorm...

"Neptune?!" Weiss asked worriedly. No response. "Neptune, what is it?!"

* * *

With Neptune...

"They... They're talking about ships..." Neptune couldn't think straight. "Rhea has placed money on WhiteRose and Bumblebee, and Sun has placed money on FreezerBurn and Ladybug."

* * *

In the Team RWBBY dorm...

Yang's jaw had dropped, Blake's eyes were wide, and Weiss' face was red. Ruby just looked confused.

"Huh?" She asked innocently. Suddenly, the other three screamed in pure horror and disgust.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

With Neptune...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

With Sun and Rhea...

"That was awesome!" Sun laughed, gripping his stomach. Rhea nodded, grinning slyly as the two began walking away. "Seriously though, Arkos and ReNora."

"Don't forget ArcticSea. Or Leviathan..."

"OzGlyn."

"WiseDragon."

"Maybe. RedWolf?"

"Eh. Let's see where it goes."

"Think there's a ship for Ruby and Whitley, yet?"

"It's the internet, there's a ship for everything."

"Especially with this fandom."

"You mean Team FNDM."

"Ever read a list of all the ship names involving Adam?"

"... Don't even get me started on those."

"But-"

"Don't. Even."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

 _ **Yang and Raven stood on the opposite ends of an orange oblivion, crossing their arms and scowling as they avoided eye-contact. In the center of the oblivion, Rhea face-palmed and sighed.**_

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Rhea pounded her head against the wall of a small 3x4x6 foot room that she, Yang, and Raven were locked in. Yang and a Raven stood at opposite sides of the front of the room, their arms crossed and glaring at the floor. Rhea pounded her head in the back corner.

"Let-! Us-! Out-!" Rhea pleaded. "I can't take it, anymore!"

" _Sorry, Rhea!_ " The voice of Ruby shouted from a speaker. " _Not until Yang and Raven talk it out!_ "

"NEVER!" Yang shouted, briefly catching fire. Raven scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"For once, we agree."

"I can't take small spaces!" Rhea shouted. "It's like a cage! I'm... Having... Flashbacks..." Rhea slowly sunk down to the ground, hugging her knees and rocking herself back and forth, her eyes wide.

"Rae?!" Yang asked. Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm?"

"Her, not you!" Yang ran over and kneeled next to Rhea. "What's wrong with her?!"

"She's claustrophobic. She'll get over it."

"I think she's having a heart-attack!"

"She'll be fine. I raised her to withstand anything life could throw at her."

"Even DEATH?!"

"Child's play."

"What flashback could she be having?!"

"It's a long story."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

 ** _Adam_** **smirked as he stood over a red oblivion, then drew Wilt and slashed the screen in half.**

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

 _The screen flickered and old-timey piano music played, the colors faded, giving off the impression of an old-fashioned film. Adam walked through the forest, smirking as he gazed at the camera, someone turning it to make sure it followed his movements._

 _"Here in the White Fang, we do not tolerate human oppression of any kind." He announced. "In fact, we encourage all appropriate means of getting revenge on those who do choose to oppress our kind. Here, I am going to describe and demonstrate examples of oppression and appropriate ways to retaliate."_

 _"Hey, Adam~!" A voice shouted. Adam's smirk grew._

 _"Here comes my assistant." He announced. Rhea walked onscreen, raising an eyebrow as she saw the camera._

 _"Um..?"_

 _"This is Rhea Branwen, a fairly-good example of an average human." Adam declared. Rhea crossed her arms._

 _"Average hu-? Adam, what the Hell-?"_

 _The scene cut._

* * *

 _In a forest, Rhea giggled as Adam walked over._

 _"Hey, Adam~!" She greeted. Adam nodded curtly._

 _"Rhea."_

 _"Whatcha doin'?"_

 _"The same as you: waiting for Raven to return so we may go on our next job."_

 _"Uh-huh. Interesting."_

 _"... What have you done?"_

 _"Nothing~..!_

 _"Rhea..."_

 _"Sngggh..!" Rhea barely held back a snort of laughter. Adam's left eyebrow twitched._

 _"Rhea-" Adam's eyes narrowed as Rhea held up a large red square of fabric. "What is that?"_

 _"Oi, Taurus!" Rhea waved the fabric. "Olé!" Adam growled and drew his sword, charging Rhea and swiping it, only for the girl to dodge and wave the red cape. "Olé!" Adam slashed **Wilt** , and Rhea dodged again. "OLÉ!" Adam snarled and dropped **Wilt** , lunging at the girl. Rhea smirked and stepped aside, revealing that she had positioned the cape in front of a tree. Adam hit the tree head first and fell back, having knocked himself out. Rhea laughed, laying the cape over her unconscious friend and snapping her fingers, giggling. "Olé~!"_

 _The scene cut._

* * *

 _Adam reappeared alone in the forest, his hands folded behind his back and shaking his head, **tsk** ing._

 _"Human oppression at its finest. Now, how do you suppose I deal with this?" Several options appeared in white text on the screen next to him as he raised his hand. "Do I A: do nothing and allow her to believe she can do this to me without retaliation, B: lash out and kill her in an agonizingly painful way and in all the ways I know she fears the moment she has her back turned, or C: use a weakness of hers to get even?"_

 _Adam smirked, raising both of his eyebrows twice deviously as he gazed at the screen._

 _The scene cut._

* * *

 _Rhea walked through the forest, then she noticed a trail of breadcrumbs, her eyes widening and her nose twitching slightly as she picked up the scent. Rhea changed into a bird and began hopping along the path, eating the breadcrumbs before arriving at a pile on a golden platter and beginning to peck at it._

 _Suddenly, Adam leapt out from a tree and slammed the top of a golden cage down on the base, laughing maniacally as he lifted up the caged raven. The bird let out several loud noises of annoyance and flapped its wings angrily, giving Adam the evil-eye. Rhea was not a happy bird._

 _" **Rae-y** want a cracker?" Adam asked, holding up a cracker and smirking. Rhea tried to put her beak through the cage and bite his fingers, but Adam pulled his hand away._

 _The scene cut._

* * *

 _Adam was standing alone in the forest again, a caged Rhea on a stand behind him, smirking in triumph with his hands folded behind his back._

 _"And that, students, is how you appropriately get revenge on a human." He announced. Raven suddenly walked up behind him, looking between Adam and Rhea before deadpanning, looking back at Adam._

 _"Adam, what the f-?"_

 _The scene cut._

* * *

Adam smirked, his arms crossed as he watched Blake's reaction to the training video. Blake slowly looked up at him, blinking a few times in surprise.

"This is what you use to train new recruits?"

"Yep."

"... Adam, what the Hell is wrong with you?"

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

 ** _BLEEEP!_**

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

" _This is the way we want to spend every day,_

 _Laughing with our friends and keeping sadness away!_

 _Join us and see, we can be happy and free!_

 _Life is full of fun because we're all chi-bi!_ ".

* * *

 _ **HA! In case you couldn't tell, that skit with Yang, Rhea, and Raven is a reference to the iCarly episode "iMeet Sam's Mom". Yang was Sam, Raven was the mom, and poor Rhea was Carly. I couldn't resist!**_

 _ **I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. **_

_**Thanks!**_


End file.
